The Congress on Friday reiterated its demand for SCS, ST, OBC and EBCs in private educational institutions to make the Bihar Reservation Act a part of the 9th schedule, amend the Constitution to eliminate the 50 percent limit for reservation, to eliminate the 50 percent limit for reservation.
Congress General Secretary (Communications in -charge) Jairam Ramesh said that the party will definitely raise these three issues of basic importance for social justice and empowerment in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament.
Ramesh told the X News Channel, “The Prime Minister is in Bihar today. On the basis of the caste survey conducted by the previous India Block Government in Bihar, the Bihar government proposed 65 percent reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and OBC. It has been challenged in the court.”
He said, “The government of double engine in Bihar has accepted defeat. But there are three ways that Congress has been demanding for a long time, which will make 65 percent reservation reality.”
Ramesh called for making Bihar Reservation Act a part of the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. He said that the Narasimha Rao government did this in 1994 to protect 69 percent reservation in Tamil Nadu.
He also called for amending the constitution to remove the maximum limit of 50 percent reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and OBC.
Ramesh said that this limit has been imposed in the last six decades due to various decisions of the Supreme Court.
He said, “Article 15 (5) also provides for reservation in private educational institutions for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and OBCs. It has not been implemented in the last 11 years after the Supreme Court introduced the constitutional amendment presented by Dr. Manmohan Singh’s government in 2006.
Ramesh said that the Congress will definitely raise these three issues of basic importance for social justice and empowerment in the monsoon session of Parliament starting from July 21, 2025.
His remarks came before Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the two -day three states starting on Friday. The visit includes the launch of several development projects in Bihar and Odisha and participating in the collective yoga program on International Yoga Day.
An official statement said that Modi will be in Siwan in Bihar and Bhubaneswar in Odisha on Friday and will also address public meetings. In Siwan, he will inaugurate the new Vaishali-Deoria railway line project costing more than Rs 400 crore and will flag off a new train service on this route.
