Mallikarjun Kharge, the National President of the Indian National Congress, recently made the headline for a pledge that he took on Thursday. Kharge asserted that if the party assumes power, it will ensure that the Scheduled Caste Plan and the Tribal Sub-Plan are revived and implimented through legislation.
Kharge made the statement on a social media platform and emphasized that the Congress party was commited towards ensuring the effective implementation of the SC-ST Sub Plan, aligning budget allocations with the population proportions of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). He went on to criticized the Modi government for removing the Special Component Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan back in 2014. He claimed that these initiatives were originally introduced by Indira Gandhi in the 1970s to ensure equitable distribution of budgetary resources among marginalized communities.
“”Congress guarantees to revive the Scheduled Caste Plan and the Tribal Sub-Plan and implement it by law,” Kharge affirmed in his post.
Highlighting the party’s historical advocacy for the rights of marginalized sections of society, Kharge emphasized that the Congress has consistently worked for the cause of social justice and empowerment for the people of the backward, deprived, oppressed, and exploited communities over the past seven decades.
“Only Congress will ensure ‘share justice’,” Kharge emphasized.
Rahul Gandhi later also seconded Kharge’s statements and expressed that the party had a vision for tribal communities in India. Rahul Gandhi emphasized the Congress’s is not only committed towards safeguarding natural resources like water, forests, and land but also towards meaningful participation of tribal communities in the process of building the nation.
“The aim of the Congress is not only to protect water, forests and land but also to ensure the participation of tribals in the building of modern India. These 6 resolutions of ours dedicated to the tribal society will become a shield for the rights of the tribals by preventing the plunder of resources. The country will become strong only when the foundation is strong,” Gandhi stated in a social media post. He further put emphasis on the importance of safeguarding tribal rights and resources through comprehensive policy resolutions, highlighting their crucial contribution in strengthening the nation’s foundation.
In response to the demands from opposition parties within the INDIA bloc for a nationwide caste census under the slogan ‘Jitni Abadi, Utna Haq’ (Rights proportionate to population), the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, has expressed its reservations, raising concerns that this could lead to potential societal divisions.
The upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024, in India, are scheduled in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. These elections will determine the composition of the 18th Lok Sabha, comprising of 543 members. The election results are slated to be announced on June 6.
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