The National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NCADO) has threatened to go on a Bharat Bandh if the government does not enact a law to ensure reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The Supreme Court (SC) On August 1, the Supreme Court ruled that certain castes can be classified for separate reservation in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes reservation. Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe organisations across the country had called for a 'Bharat Bandh' on August 21.
The Bharat Bandh demanded that the reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes should be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution so that it can never be challenged in court again in the future. A bill in this regard is expected to be tabled in the next winter session of the Assembly. If the central government does not make a law, there will be a bigger movement than Bharat Bandh, "he said.
The National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) has called for a nationwide Bharat Bandh on August 21. The bandh was in protest against the Supreme Court verdict on reservation for SCs and STs.
The Bharat Bandh was supported by the Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party, Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) and some other parties. The impact of the shutdown was seen in the northern states of Jharkhand and Bihar. Elections in these states are scheduled to be held by the end of this year or early 2025.
Who started the movement?
Ashok Bharti, president of NACDAOR, told The Indian Express, "We want Parliament to enact a law in the winter session to nullify the Supreme Court verdict. Ashok Bharti has been associated with NACDAOR since 2001. He was also a member of the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
According to Bharti, Parliament needs to give legal protection to SC / ST reservation so that it does not get affected by the court. At present, every time some verdict is given by the court and a cloud of doubt is created around the reservation. We had earlier demanded that the issue of reservation should be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution so that it never comes up in the court again.
BJP shows its clout
Ashok Bharti also criticised the BJP. "BJP's real face has been exposed. He always talks about the deprived sections of the society, but what did he do for the deprived sections? Did they check the marginalised sections and give them employment? They definitely provide employment through their speeches, but the society is no longer a victim of their blunders.
The NACDAOR, in a memorandum to the government during the 'Bharat Bandh', also demanded the removal of the central government's Advocate General Tushar Mehta. It has been alleged that he should have taken the opinion of the concerned organizations into consideration when the matter of categorization of reservation is being heard in the Supreme Court. Bharti also expressed displeasure over the fact that the Centre is not releasing data on how many people from SC and ST sub-castes are in government jobs.
Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) president and Nagina Lok Sabha MP Chandrashekhar Azad has already announced a nationwide agitation on the issue from September 11.