BJP will neither abolish quota nor allow anyone to do so: Shah

Bhawanipatna (Odisha): BJP president Amit Shah today said the central government would neither scrap the policy of reservation for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities in education and jobs nor allow anyone to do so.

Addressing a public meeting here, he said that “no one can dare to change” the reservation policy “as set by B R Ambedkar in the Constitution”. Shah also held the Congress and other opposition parties responsible for the deaths of nearly a dozen people in violence during a nationwide strike called by various Dalit outfits against the alleged dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

“Why was the bandh call given when the prime minister assured the people that the Centre would submit a review petition on the Supreme Court judgement… Ten people died during the bandh. The Congress and other opposition parties are responsible for the deaths of these 10 people,” he said. The Centre yesterday moved a plea in the Supreme Court seeking to review the March 20 verdict putting safeguards on arrest under the stringent SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The apex court, however, asserted that “no provisions of the SC/ST Act have been diluted” and refused to keep in abeyance the verdict. Alleging that a “misinformation campaign” had been launched in the media and on social media that the BJP would withdraw reservations, Shah said, “I want to make it clear in this public meeting in the presence of so many people that the BJP will not withdraw reservations at all, nor will it allow anyone to do so.”

Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP president said, “We have full faith in the Constitution of India. There will not be slightest change in the reservation policy as set by B R Ambedkar in the Constitution. No one can dare to change it. The BJP will also not allow anyone to change the reservation policy.”