Lucknow: BSP chief Mayawati on Friday slammed the BJP and the Congress for not including reservation for SCs, STs, and OBCs in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also alleged that the two major parties of the country were not in favour of the backwards' social transformation and economic liberation.
BSP, which has one MLA each in UP and Punjab, and two in Uttarakhand, is not aligned with the NDA or the I.N.D.I.A. bloc.
"Political oppression is nothing compared to social oppression. Have the lives of millions of Dalits and Adivasis in the country become free from hatred and discrimination, with self-respect and dignity? If not, then how justifiable is the distribution of reservation among these classes that have been broken and oppressed on the basis of caste?" the Bahujan Samaj Party president posted on X in Hindi.
"The attitude of both Congress and BJP parties/governments towards the SC, ST, and OBC masses of the country has been liberal, not reformist. They are not in favour of their social transformation and economic liberation; otherwise, the reservation for these people would have been included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to ensure its protection," Mayawati said.
The Ninth Schedule of the Indian Constitution contains a list of central and state laws which cannot be challenged in courts.
Initially, the Ninth Schedule was primarily focused on land reforms, but over time, various other laws, including reservations, have been added to it.
Published 02 August 2024, 13:48 IST