Rita Bahuguna welcomes Allahabad High Court's decision to ban caste-based rallies in UP

Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi on Thursday said the Allahabad High Court's decision to ban holding of caste-based political rallies in the state is a welcome step, and will be good for the nation's polity in the long run.

"The High Court judgement is a welcome step because the regional parties are organizing caste-based political rallies over the last few years. In fact, the regional parties are trying to unite the people on the basis of their castes and transforming them into their vote banks," she told the media here.

Joshi further said that the Congress Party does not play politics in the name of religion.

In what could be a major blow to the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court earlier in the day banned holding of caste-based political rallies in Uttar Pradesh.

"Caste-based political meetings and rallies are against the Constitutional norms," said a division bench comprising Justices Umanath Singh and Mahendra Dayal, while hearing public interest litigation.

The petitioner alleged that on July 7, the Bahujan Samaj Party held a Brahmin maha sammelan in Lucknow to garner votes for the upcoming general elections, which is totally against the Constitution.