Retirement age, OBC quota: Suggestions Congress axed in final Udaipur declaration

A number of radical suggestions given by various committees set up to steer the discussions at the Congress’ Chintan Shivir here did not find space in the final declaration adopted by the conclave here.

The Congress Working Committee, which met before the concluding session, went through the suggestions by six committees but axed suggestions like retirement age for leaders, advisory council comprising elders, and quota for OBCs in Parliament and Assemblies among others.

Some of the suggestions were officially publicised by Congress through press conferences here as points discussed in the deliberations, giving indications that it may find space in the final declaration. However, they didn’t.

Also Read | We will overcome, says Sonia, announces political advisory group and task force on party reforms

One of the prominent suggestions publicised by the committee on social justice was the reservation for OBCs in Parliament and Assemblies on the lines of SCs and STs. It had also suggested that SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities should get 50 per cent of organisational posts.

However, none of these got accepted by the Congress Working Committee though it accepted the suggestion to argue for quota within quota in the Women’s Reservation Bill. The panel’s suggestion for a quota in the private sector was also binned.

The panel on youth managed 50 per cent representation in organisation and elections but their vociferous demands for retirement, as well as the age limit for organisational posts and contesting elections, did not get the leadership’s nod.

However, the youth group managed to get their recommendations as suggestions, if not decisions, in the Udaipur declaration. “The youth group also concluded that a limit of retirement age should be fixed in Parliament, Legislatures, Legislative Council and all elected posts. In future party governments, all posts in all posts should be 50 per cent of the people below the age of 50 years. The more experienced people should be taken advantage of to strengthen the organisation of the party,” the declaration said.

The suggestion to introduce a cooling off period of three years for those leaders who have completed five years in an organisational post was also not accepted.

The initial discussion point of the committee on social justice also had a suggestion for appointing pointsmen at the local level to counter RSS pracharaks and spread Congress ideology. This also did not find space in the declaration.