Paswan demands reservation in private sector

NEW DELHI: The former Union Minister and National Dalit Front (NDF) president, Ram Vilas Paswan, on Saturday warned of a fresh movement if the demand for reservation in the private sector was not met immediately.

Mr. Paswan told journalists that the NDF held a meeting and decided to stage a demonstration before Parliament when it meets next, to pressure the government to pass the necessary law to enforce reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Castes.

At the NDF meeting, concerns that the bill drafted for the purpose had been put in cold storage under one pretext or the other, were expressed. Mr. Paswan demanded that the constitutional provision for constituting an All India Judicial Services should be honoured to ensure the participation of dalits and adivasis in the higher judiciary.

The NDF said it was against the proposed disinvestment of public sector undertakings (PSUs) as it would harm the SCs, STs and the OBCs. Once PSUs got into private hands, the reservation provided would lapse, depriving these sections of their constitutional rights.

Mr. Paswan said the budgetary allocation for SCs, STs had gone down considerably, against the prescribed norm under the Special Component Plan.