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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the INDIA bloc will end the 50% cap on reservation as the scope of reservation needs to be expanded and the current system broken and discarded
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi read out a 10-point resolution for the extremely backward classes and explained how, once implemented, it will greatly benefit this section. (Image: PTI/File)
Once again advocating for a caste census in India, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said if voted to power, the INDIA bloc will end the 50 percent cap on reservation as the scope of reservation needs to be expanded.
Sharing the INDIA Bloc’s “reservation vision” for poll-bound Bihar, Rahul Gandhi said this is for the “ati pichra” or “extremely backward classes”.
“We want to share a vision with you. This is the vision for the extremely backward classes,” Gandhi said at ‘Ati Pichra Nyay Sankalp’ symposium in Patna.
Gandhi read out a 10-point resolution for the extremely backward classes and explained how, once implemented, it will greatly benefit this section. He said the ‘Ati Pichra Nyay Sankalp’ was passed at the symposium and will be implemented if the INDIA bloc comes to power in Bihar.
“A caste census must be conducted in the country. The scope of reservation needs to be expanded. The current scope will be broken and discarded. We want to conduct a caste census so that accurate information about castes is obtained,” he said.
He said the INDIA bloc will ensure reservation for extremely backward classes in private institutions with government contracts worth more than Rs 25 crore.
“The Nitish government didn’t do anything for the betterment of extremely backward classes, only used them as a vote bank,” he alleged.
The opposition leader said the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ was a great success in Bihar through which people were informed of how the Constitution is under attack and rights are being stolen.
“Together we all conducted the ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar. For 15 days, we went to different districts and informed the youth of Bihar that the Constitution is under attack, your rights are being stolen. The youth of Bihar put their full effort into the yatra, which is why it was successful,” he said.
Here’s the INDIA bloc’s 10-point resolution:
- The ‘Atipichhda Atystachar Nivaran Adhiniyam’ (Act for Prevention of Atipichhda Atrocities) will be enacted.
- The current 20 percent reservation for the ati pichra category in panchayats and urban local bodies will be increased to 30 percent.
- To increase the 50 percent reservation cap based on population proportion, the law passed by the legislative assembly will be sent to the Centre for inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution
- The concept of “not found suitable” (NFS) in the selection process for appointments will be declared illegal.
- All matters related to under-inclusion or over-inclusion in the list of the ati pichra category will be resolved by forming a dedicated committee.
- All residential landless persons from ati pichra, scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST), and backward classes will be provided three decimals of residential land in urban areas and five decimals in rural areas.
- Under the Right to Education Act, 2010, passed by the UPA government, half of the reserved seats in private schools will be allocated to children from ati pichra, backward classes, SCs, and STs.
- For government contracts/supply work up to Rs 25 crore, 50 percent reservation will be provided for ati pichra, SCs, STs, and backward classes.
- Reservation in admissions to all private educational institutions of the state will be implemented under Article 15(5) of the Constitution.
- A high-authority regulatory body will be formed to oversee reservation, and any changes to caste reservation lists will only be possible with the permission of the legislative assembly.
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st…Read More
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st… Read More
September 24, 2025, 23:08 IST
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