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HYDERABAD: PM Narendra Modi on Saturday targeted BRS, Congress and INDIA, saying they were anti-Dalit, and cited Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s outburst against his predecessor, Jitan Ram Manjhi, in the assembly.
“Look at the chief minister of Bihar (Nitish Kumar). He talks about suppressed communities. What did he do when there was an opportunity to make Ram Vilas Paswan a Rajya Sabhamember? He did not support him.I could see the pain in the eyes of his son Chirag Paswan. Nitish Kumar even insulted a former chief minister of the state and a Dalit son, Jitan Ram Manjhi, in the assembly. Only BJP believes in social justice, this is the only government that believes in ‘Sab ka saath sab ka vikas’,” he said at a rally organised by the Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti in Secunderabad.
He criticised CM K Chandrasekhar Rao for not fulfilling the promise of making a Dalit chief minister during the Telangana agitation. “He occupied the chief minister’s seat for nine years. Congress too does not favour Dalits. They defeated Babasaheb Ambedkar when he contested elections. They did not even announce a Bharat Ratna for him. His photo was not even displayed in Parliament’s central hall. It was the BJP-led governments that brought change,” Modi said.
Backing the Madigas’ demand for sub-categorisation of scheduled castes, Modi pledged to rectify historical injustices, emphasising his commitment to social justice. “I know many governments in the past have promised many things, but nothing happened. I belong to the political class, and I am ready to atone for the sins they committed,” he said.
“I am a supporter of this great struggle taken up by my younger brother, Manda Krishna Madiga (MRPS founder). I assure you that the government will make sure a committee will look into your justified demand. A court battle is going on, we will see that this committee assists you in all manner,” he said.
In September, the government said in Rajya Sabha that out of 20 states and two Union territories, 13 states had opposed sub-categorisation. The issue is also pending in SC, where a bench of seven or more judges is expected to hear the case challenging the validity of sub-categorisation.
Modi’s announcement, while addressing a specific regional demand, may have broader implications for the national discourse on reservations and the nuanced categorisation of SCs, igniting a debate that has simmered beneath the surface for decades. The concept of sub-categorisation emerged in 1975 when the Punjab government divided its 25% reservation for SCs and STs into two categories, allocating each half to specific groups.
However, this practice faced legal challenges, notably in 2006 when the Supreme Court invalidated a similar law in Andhra Pradesh. The court ruled that only the President had the authority to create sub-categories, and state legislatures lacked this power. The judgment emphasised that the Constitution views SCs as a homogeneous group, and treating people from the same group differently would violate the right to equality.
In 2006, Punjab passed another law and reintroduced the preference in reservation to Balmikis and Mazhabis. The Punjab and Haryana high court struck it down in 2010, and an appeal is pending in Supreme Court.
“Look at the chief minister of Bihar (Nitish Kumar). He talks about suppressed communities. What did he do when there was an opportunity to make Ram Vilas Paswan a Rajya Sabhamember? He did not support him.I could see the pain in the eyes of his son Chirag Paswan. Nitish Kumar even insulted a former chief minister of the state and a Dalit son, Jitan Ram Manjhi, in the assembly. Only BJP believes in social justice, this is the only government that believes in ‘Sab ka saath sab ka vikas’,” he said at a rally organised by the Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti in Secunderabad.
He criticised CM K Chandrasekhar Rao for not fulfilling the promise of making a Dalit chief minister during the Telangana agitation. “He occupied the chief minister’s seat for nine years. Congress too does not favour Dalits. They defeated Babasaheb Ambedkar when he contested elections. They did not even announce a Bharat Ratna for him. His photo was not even displayed in Parliament’s central hall. It was the BJP-led governments that brought change,” Modi said.
Backing the Madigas’ demand for sub-categorisation of scheduled castes, Modi pledged to rectify historical injustices, emphasising his commitment to social justice. “I know many governments in the past have promised many things, but nothing happened. I belong to the political class, and I am ready to atone for the sins they committed,” he said.
“I am a supporter of this great struggle taken up by my younger brother, Manda Krishna Madiga (MRPS founder). I assure you that the government will make sure a committee will look into your justified demand. A court battle is going on, we will see that this committee assists you in all manner,” he said.
In September, the government said in Rajya Sabha that out of 20 states and two Union territories, 13 states had opposed sub-categorisation. The issue is also pending in SC, where a bench of seven or more judges is expected to hear the case challenging the validity of sub-categorisation.
Modi’s announcement, while addressing a specific regional demand, may have broader implications for the national discourse on reservations and the nuanced categorisation of SCs, igniting a debate that has simmered beneath the surface for decades. The concept of sub-categorisation emerged in 1975 when the Punjab government divided its 25% reservation for SCs and STs into two categories, allocating each half to specific groups.
However, this practice faced legal challenges, notably in 2006 when the Supreme Court invalidated a similar law in Andhra Pradesh. The court ruled that only the President had the authority to create sub-categories, and state legislatures lacked this power. The judgment emphasised that the Constitution views SCs as a homogeneous group, and treating people from the same group differently would violate the right to equality.
In 2006, Punjab passed another law and reintroduced the preference in reservation to Balmikis and Mazhabis. The Punjab and Haryana high court struck it down in 2010, and an appeal is pending in Supreme Court.
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