Cong accuses govt of 'failure' to safeguard interests of SC/ST

Jammu and Kashmir Congress unit today held a protest accusing the state and the Central governments of having "failed" to safeguard the interests of Schedule Castes and other down-trodden communities in the state.
Congress leaders accused the state and the Central governments of having "miserably failed" to safeguard the interests of Schedule Castes (SCs), Schedule Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and other down trodden population in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Congress leaders held a silent sit-in at B R Ambedkar Chowk here to lodge protest over the "anti-reserved" category policies of the state and Centre.
"These anti-SCs/STs and OBCs policies of the state and the Central government has made these people to suffer. The state government has failed to defend the reservation Act in the court of law as a result these reserved categories would be deprived of promotional benefits," a Congress spokesman said.

Senior Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand accused the state and Central governments of following "anti-SC/ST" policies since they came to power.
He said that the deprived and neglected sections of the society will fight back for their due rights.

"The state and the Central governments are following anti-SC/ST policies from the time they came into power which is resulting in the suffering of these people," Chand said.
However, the BJP while hitting out at Congress for misleading the people belonging to ST/SC and other classes said that the party was spreading mis-information.
"Congress is playing politics on the issue and spreading misinformation amongst the members of these communities," BJP state spokesman, Balbir Ram Rattan said.

He said that the BJP stands for the cause of SC, ST and other backward classes.
"The state unit of BJP, instead of taking politics out of the issue, is taking up the matter of reservation in the promotions with the state government vigorously," he said.