‘Will urge PM to bring bill on SC/ST quota in promotion’

Kolkata: Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Thursday said his party will urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring a bill in Parliament for reservation in promotions for SCs and STs.

His remarks come a day after the Supreme Court paved the way for grant of quota for promotions in government jobs to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, holding that the states were not required to “collect quantifiable data” reflecting the backwardness among these communities.

“..As the leader of Republican Party of India (Athawale) I will ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to introduce a bill in Parliament to enact a law for reservation in promotions,” Mr Athawale said.

“There can be no alternative to reservation in promotions...The state governments alone should not decide on the issue and the government of India must pass a bill in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha,” he said.

He blamed the evil of casteism for atrocities against dalits in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar.

“Uttar Pradesh has registered the highest number of atrocities against dalits followed by Rajasthan and Bihar. But it is not a question of which government is at the helm in a particular state. Atrocities will end when there will be no casteism, when there will be no division among communities and when the mindset of people will change,” the minister of state for social justice and empowerment said.

The three states are strictly enforcing the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, to check crimes against the weaker sections, he added.

Mr Athawale said the atrocities against Dalits were low in West Bengal.

Asked about incidents of lynching of Muslims and other backward communities in the country in the past few years, he said, “I acknowledge there have been incidents of lynching of members of minority communities and that is not a good thing. But you must note that in each and every incident, a strong decision was taken and the attackers have been arrested”.

He also urged Mr Modi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure that members of the Matua sect, a backward community of migrant Hindus from Bangladesh, with bonafide documents be granted citizenship.

The minister interacted with members of the Matua sect in North 24 Parganas district earlier on Thursday.