Workers take out marches in Noida and Ghaziabad against SC sub-classification verdict
The Supreme Court had earlier this month ruled that state governments have the authority to create subclassifications within the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) for the purpose of preferential reservations
Thousands of workers belonging to various political outfits, including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi party (SP), on Wednesday joined a nationwide strike (Bharat Bandh) and took out marches across the district to protest against the Supreme Court’s verdict on the sub-categorisation of quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) groups and the controversy over lateral entry into central civil services.
The Bharat Bandh was called by 21 Dalit organisations, including National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) and Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, seeking the Parliament to enact a law to nullify the Supreme Court verdict clearing decks for sub classification of SCs in the quota regime.
The Supreme Court had earlier this month ruled that state governments have the authority to create subclassifications within the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) for the purpose of preferential reservations, in a verdict that will have far-reaching implications for reservation policies for marginalised communities.
By allowing subclassification, the Supreme Court has opened the door for states to identify and provide targeted benefits to the most disadvantaged subgroups within the broader SC/ST categories, provided they base their decisions on empirical evidence and rational criteria.
A sea of protesters from the BSP, bearing banners supporting the “Bharat Bandh” and opposing the SC decision, took out a march from Ghanta Chowk to the Surajpur Collectorate.
“Government must make some immediate interventions as several issues can arise in the education sector through this decision. This is a loophole to deny rightful reservation to the scheduled classes and make way for general category students,” Lakhmi Singh, a BSP worker, said.
The Samajwadi party too took out a similar protest and said the objective of the Bharat Bandh was to “expose the BJP’s double face and anti-reservation ideology, and to increase awareness among the marginalised classes”.
“Lateral entry or contractual employment is a door opened by the Modi government to recruit the privileged class. With the people’s support to Samajwadi Party, BJP is now on the back foot and Akhilesh Yadav will keep fighting tooth and nail for the backward class and minorities,” SP spokesperson Pradeep Bhati said.
Responding to the allegations, Bharatiya Janata Party district president Gajendra Mavi blamed the opposition for politicising the issue and said that they would not “gain anything from it”.
“These petty tactics won’t earn them the people’s mandate. They keep on doing something or the other to be relevant,” Mavi said.
Heavy police deployment was made across Gautam Budh Nagar but businesses in Noida remained unaffected by the bandh, said senior police officers.
However, other parts of uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra, witnessed widespread demonstrations, they said.
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