Uttarakhand: In response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's criticism of Uttarakhand government's decision to contend the claim to reservation in appointments or promotions in public posts outside the Parliament, Chief Minister and BJP leader Trivendra Singh Rawat accused the former of being in an 'inebriated' state while making the statement.
“Rahul Gandhi should seek information before making any kind of statement. He once again reached Parliament in an inebriated state,” the Uttarakhand Chief Minister told ETV Bharat while commenting on Supreme Court’s ruling on the reservation.
"He should have known that his party was in power when the state government abolished reservation in promotion in 2012, "added the BJP leader.
Gandhi, on Monday, slammed the BJP government of Uttarakhand for contending in the Supreme Court that there was no fundamental right to claim reservation in appointments or promotions in public posts, and there was no constitutional duty on the part of the state governments to provide reservations.
"The ideology of the RSS and the BJP is against reservation. The RSS and the BJP cannot stand the idea that Dalits, tribals and OBCs have reservations," the former Congress president told reporters outside Parliament.
"They (the RSS and BJP) wake up every morning and this (reservation) irritates them. Except it is in our Constitution, and these rights are guaranteed by our Constitution," Gandhi said.
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They have attempted to remove reservation in one way or the other, he alleged and cited the examples of the destruction of the Ravidas temple and the government's actions on the SC/ST sub-plan.
"You have seen that they are arguing (in court) that it (reservation) is not a fundamental right. So it is their DNA to try and erase it," Gandhi said.
It is a strategy of the BJP and their way of trying to end reservation, he said on the Uttarakhand government's arguments in the Supreme Court.
The BJP and the RSS don't want the SC/STs to progress, he claimed.
His remarks come after the Supreme Court has held that states are not bound to provide reservation in appointments and there is no fundamental right to claim quota in promotions.
