Dalit organisations have hailed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government’s announcement that it will ensure passage of 117th Constitution Amendment Bill in the lok Sabha in the coming Budget session.
The Bill provides for reservations in promotion for Schedule Caste state employees.
Welcoming the announcement by Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thavar Chand Gehlot, the Aarakshan Bachao Samiti said that it was better late than never as the SC employees faced the worst kind of persecution in UP in the absence of law in this regard.
The Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha during the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance regime.
A leader of Aarakshan Bachao Samiti said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should himself have made announcement for the passage of this crucial Bill.
He said if the BJP failed to get the Bill passed in the lok Sabha in the Budget session, the SC employees would step up their campaign against the BJP and will boycott the party in the 2017 UP Assembly elections.
During the previous Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party regime in UP, a large number of SC officers in UP Power Corporation limited, Irrigation department and PWD were promoted under the policy of giving reservations in promotion.
However, the policy was challenged in the Allahabad High Court, which quashed the promotion of SC officers. In April 2013, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the High Court and later it fixed the deadline of September 2015 for demoting all the officers and employees who were promoted under the reservation in promotion policy. If the 117th Constitution Amendment Bill is passed by the lok Sabha, reservation in promotion will be restored for SC employees.