BJP doing politics on reservations in promotion: Congress

NEW DELHI: Seeking to project the Narendra Modi government as "anti-Dalit" ahead of Bihar polls, Congress today attacked it for filing a review petition over a Supreme Court order in favour of reservations in promotion to higher grade officers of PSU banks.

Alleging "politics" behind initiatives of BJP and RSS for Dalits in Bihar, Congress spokesperson Kapil Sibal recalled that RSS had once termed "Manusmriti" as the "most worshippable scripture after the Vedas".

Manusmriti, an ancient Hindu scripture, has repeatedly been slammed by Dalit bodies for its views on the community.

"The duplicity of the BJP is evident on the issue of providing reservations in promotions with respect to higher grade level officers of PSU banks," Sibal said.

He recalled that the party had earlier supported the Constitution (One Hundred Seventeenth Amendment) Bill, 2012 introduced by the UPA and passed by Rajya Sabha on December 17, 2012, to provide reservation in promotion.

Later a plea was filed by five PSU banks in Supreme Court against reservation for promotion in class-I posts but the apex court in a judgement on January 9 the same year, upheld an earlier judgement of Madras High Court in favour of reservation in promotion of officers of higher grade.

"The five banks instead of implementing the judgement have filed review petitions. Ironically, the Modi government too has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the judgement.

"Before opposing reservation in promotions in higher grade level in PSU banks, Modi government should reflect upon the fact that it was the intention of the framers of the Constitution to ensure that adequate representation be given to the historically disadvantaged section not only quantitatively but also qualitatively," Sibal said.

Insisting that reservation only at the entry level in the lower rungs of service is not enough, he said that the SCs and STs should not be denied their legitimate quota in upper parts of service, where decision-taking power vests.