Gehlot misled Lok Sabha on issue of reservation, will move privilege motion against him: Cong

The Congress on Monday accused Union Social Justice Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot of misleading Lok Sabha on the issue of reservation and said it would move a privilege motion against him.

The Congress said it would stage protests and agitations at district level on the issue in the coming weeks to "expose" the Modi government's "conspiracy to end reservation" for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.

Congress general secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said it is a clear agenda of the BJP to curtail reservation for SCs/STs and backwards and alleged that the RSS has been sabotaging reservation to these oppressed sections for years.

"Congress party has decided to move a privilege motion against...Gehlot," he told reporters.

"The minister has misled the House. We will definitely move the privilege motion against him," he said.

The government on Monday informed Lok Sabha that it was not a party in the Supreme Court which has ordered that states are not bound to provide reservation in appointments.

Making a statement in the House, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Gehlot said the Centre was also not asked to file an affidavit on the issue.

He said the top court order pertains to a decision of the Uttarakhand government taken in 2012 when the Congress was in power in the state.

Denying the charge, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said it is the BJP government which has filed the special leave petition on November 14, 2019 in the Supreme Court on which the judgement has come.

"The truth is that the malintent and malafide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government is leading to this kind of judgement," Surjewala said.

"The Congress will always protect the rights and reservation for Dalits, Adivasis and will oppose this conspiracy of the BJP to end reservation for SCs/STs and backwards," he said.