Former Haryana Chief Minister and leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of nurturing “an anti-SC and OBC mentality,” and denying the Dalits and backward classes their rights ever since it came to power in the state.
Speaking at an event organised on the birth anniversary of Guru Daksha Prajapati Maharaj Ji in Hisar on Sunday, Hooda said, “This is the reason why BJP is eliminating permanent government jobs through privatisation and skills corporatisation.
"The education system is also being handed over to private players by closing government schools. Reservation of SC-OBC will automatically end if government jobs and government educational institutions are abolished.”
The Congress leader said his party and the backward classes complemented each other. “The Congress (loses) power only when backward classes move away from the party. And when Congress is out of power, the backward classes have to bear the biggest loss, because all other parties attack their rights.”
Hooda also accused the BJP of targeting this segment when it came to power. He said agricultural and salary income was added to the income limit in the creamy layer whereas the Congress government had separated agricultural and salary income “so that the society could get the full benefit of reservations.”
The increase in ‘income ceiling’ for 27 per cent OBC quotas is pending for seven years and overdue for a hike. The creamy layer, last revised from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh in 2017 comprises members of backward classes who are categorised as well off and ineligible for jobs and quotas.
Calling it ‘anti-backward,’ Hooda asked why the BJP had not apologised for its decision as “thousands of children from backward classes were deprived of admission in MBBS, engineering and other institutions and thousands of children could not get government jobs in the last seven years. Who will compensate for their loss?” he questioned.
Hooda also criticised the government for completely abolishing the reservation of SC-OBC by implementing Kaushal Rojgar Nigam. “There is neither reservation, nor merit nor transparency in this contracting system of BJP.
"BJP's declared policy is that in future all recruitments will be done under Kaushal Nigam and in this indirect way reservation will be abolished automatically. This is the reason why more than two lakh permanent jobs are lying vacant in the state and a backlog of thousands of OBC posts has been created, but the BJP does not want to fill it,” he stated.
Hooda announced that if the Congress came to power this backlog will be filled and permanent recruitments for the two lakh vacant posts will be done.
“All jobs will be given on the basis of merit by eliminating paper leak and recruitment mafia. The limit of creamy layer will be increased from ₹8lakh to ₹10 lakh,” he promised.
He said the Congress' scheme of 100-yard plots, which was stopped by BJP, will be started again and plots and two-room houses will be allotted to poor, SC and OBC. He said land allotment scheme will be started for Prajapati Samaj like in the last Congress tenure.
While addressing the gathering, state Congress president Chaudhary Udaibhan said the BJP was the party of only a few big industrialists, while the Congress was the only party of the poor, Dalits, backward classes, farmers and middle class. He said this is why Congress made all its policies keeping these classes in mind.
Apart from Hooda and Udaibhan, MP Jaiprakash JP, Shri Guru Daksha Prajapati Jayanti programme convener Shravan Kumar Verma, former IAS Chandra Prakash Jangra, former chairman of Mati Kala Board Karan Singh Ranolia, former MLA Ramniwas Ghodela, former minister Sampat Singh, former MLA Rambhagat Sharma, and other leaders and dignitaries were present on the occasion.
All the leaders paid tributes to Guru Daksha Prajapati Maharaj, and prayed for the progress of the country and state.
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