All India Congress Committee (AICC) Scheduled Caste (SC) department chairman Rajendra Pal Gautam on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of targeting the SC community and said the Congress would oppose any attempt to weaken or abolish the reservation system.
Gautam was addressing a ‘Vimukt Diwas’ programme organised by the Denotified Tribes (DNT) Task Force of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee’s SC department in Ludhiana to highlight the concerns and longstanding demands of denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic communities. He said the repeal of the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871, on August 31, 1952, was an important milestone for these communities, but several of them continued to face social and economic marginalisation.
Gautam called for equal opportunities for members of denotified tribes in education, employment, housing, social security and political representation. He also demanded effective implementation of the recommendations of the Renke and Idate Commissions. He stressed the need for proper identification and enumeration of denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic communities to ensure that government welfare schemes reached the intended beneficiaries. Our party respects all communities, while the congress itself ignored issues of SC community for decades.”
Gautam expressed confidence that the Congress would return to power in Punjab in the 2027 Assembly elections.
Gautam alleged that the BJP was running a campaign against the SC community and said the Congress would oppose any move aimed at weakening the reservation system at every level. Anil Sareen, general secretary BJP, Punjab, said that the congress leaders are frustrated and they are trying to raise issues against the BJP.
