Ratlam (MP):
The Congress will remove the Supreme Court-imposed 50 percent cap on caste reservations and increase quota benefits for people from Dalit, backward and tribal communities, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said today.
Addressing a poll in Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, Mr Gandhi said that these elections are being fought to save the Constitution. “BJP and RSS want to finish this, change this. And Congress and INDIA bloc are trying to save this. This constitution has given you rights to jal (water), jangal (forest), zameen (land). Narendra Modi wants remove them, he wants full power,” he said, holding a copy of the Constitution in his hand.
The BJP leaders, he said, had declared that they would change the Constitution if they won. “That's why they gave the slogan '400 seats'. But forget the 400, they won't have 150 seats. They say they will withdraw the reservations. I want to tell you from this moment on that we will increase reservations beyond the 50 percent limit. We will make as much reservation as necessary for the poor, the backward, Dalits and adivasis,” he said.
Mr Gandhi's comments come amid a vociferous campaign for the Lok Sabha polls and heated arguments between the NDA and the INDIA bloc over reservations.
The BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has alleged that the Congress is planning to tinker with reservations for backward classes in favor of Muslims. Congress has denied the allegations. Addressing a rally in Gujarat Banaskantha, the Prime Minister said, “I challenge the Congress 'shehzada' as well as his party and its supporters to announce that they will never abuse reservation in the name of religion nor will they play the constitution. or granting a reservation in the name of religion.”
During the Ratlam meeting, Mr Gandhi said that the media does not show news of atrocities on Adivasis. “Your children are being raped, your land is being taken away, but the media is not reporting about it. There is a reason. There are no Adivasis in these media houses,” he said.
Gandhi said that ninety bureaucrats run the country's government. 'They divide the budgets. Only one in ninety is an Adivasi, three are from backward classes, three from the Dalit community. Your people are neither in the media nor in the business world. We want to change this. This is why we have decided to conduct a caste census and an economic survey,” he said.
Mr Gandhi also assured farmers of relief in the form of guaranteed MSP and loan waivers. “These are our guarantees. They will change your life,” he told the crowd.
Ratlam will vote in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 13. The Congress has fielded former MP and former Union Minister Kantilal Bhuria. Anita Nagar Singh Chauhan is the BJP's choice from the seat they won in the 2019 elections.