Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge addresses a gathering after releasing the party's manifesto ahead of Telangana Assembly elections, in Hyderabad.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring out an ordinance on Scheduled Castes Categorisation, given that his government is in power and the ruling NDA has two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha.
Reacting to PM Modi’s recent statement on setting up a committee on empowering Madigas (an SC community) with regard to their demand for categorisation of Scheduled Castes, Kharge asked what stops Modi from implementing it when he has power and majority.
"It has been 10 years since you came. Who stopped you from doing it? No one. But you did not do it. Now you said a committee will be formed in that regard. You have two-thirds majority (in Lok Sabha). Bring out an ordinance and give it. The promise that the Congress made for (formation) Telangana, we fulfilled it. You have power in your hand and also majority with you,” Kharge said.
On November 11, PM Modi Addressing a rally organised here by the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS), a community organisation of Madigas, one of the biggest constituents of Scheduled Castes in the Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and said that the Centre would soon form a committee, which would adopt all possible ways for empowering Madigas with regard to their demand for categorisation of SCs.
Attacking Modi, he said the PM promised he would deposit Rs 15 lakh in every citizen's bank account and provide Rs 2 crore jobs every year as well as double the income of farmers. "But did it happen," he pointed out.
"We made the Constitution of this country and gave equal share to everyone. Did KCR or Modi give? Such people provoke and mislead people," Kharge alleged.
Be it Madiga, Mala or those belonging to other Scheduled Castes, Congress will ensure that they will be empowered, and the party will not go back on its word, he said.
The MRPS has been fighting for categorisation of SCs for the last three decades on the ground that the fruits of reservation and others have not reached them.