'PM must clear his stance on whether he will remove 50 pc cap on reservation SC'

Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP accusing the ruling party of harping on 400 paar in the Lok Sabha polls so that they could change the Constitution and end reservations and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether he will support an amendment to the Constitution for the purposeAddressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters party general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said that the party had some questions for Prime Minister Narendra Modi specifically his views on removing the 50 per cent cap on SC ST and OBC quotaHe alleged that the BJP is talking about 400 paar to change the Constitution as the BJP and the RSS are against secularism and social justiceThe Prime Minister should clarify his stand instead of constant diversion distortion and defamation of the Congress party Notwithstanding the denials by the Prime Minister the BJP wanted to change the constitution as its ideological ancestors had opposed it right since November 1949 when the Draft of the Constitution was adopted the Congress leader saidThe party also boasted that its promise of Rs 400 per day national minimum wage is the real 400 paarHe quoted from an article that he claimed was published in the RSS mouthpiece Organiser on November 30 1949 which said the worst thing about the new Constitution of Bharat is that there is nothing Bharatiyata about it The drafters of the Constitution have incorporated in it elements of British American Canadian Swiss and sundry other Constitutions Manus Laws were written long before Lycurgus of Sparta or Solon of Persia To this day his laws as enunciated in the Manusmriti excite the admiration of the world and elicit spontaneous obedience and conformity But to our constitutional pundits that means nothingThe party was categorically clear that it will do away with the fifty percent cap on reservations and asked the Prime Minister to clear his own stand on the issue as to whether he was in favour of removing the cap or against it he addedReferring to International Labour Day falling on Wednesday he said it is most appropriate to recall the Shramik Nyay guarantees in the Congress Nyay Patra The party has promised Sabko Swaasthya Adhikaar Universal Right to Health Rs 25 lakh universal health coverage with free diagnostics medicines treatment and surgeryListing the guarantees of Congress Ramesh said its promise of Rs 400 per day national minimum wage is the real 400 paar referring to BJPs 400 target set for 2024 pollsRamesh accused the Prime Minister of distorting the Congress party manifesto by trying to give it a communal colourHe also refuted the PMs allegation about religionbased reservations saying it was a fake charge and asked the PM to point out where the Congress had said it in its election manifestoTo a question on the party decision on fielding candidates from Amethi and Raebareli he said that the Central Election Committee of the party had empowered the Congress president to finalise the candidates and it would be done and announced within the next 24 to 30 hoursListing five guarantees for labourers he said the daily minimum wage will be increased to Rs 400 and this will include MGNREGA workers alsoThis is real 400 paar he remarkedHe said that the Congress will bring in a law for guarantee on urban employment like it did in 2006 when it brought MGNREGA for rural employmentThere will be special provision for social security for the unorganised sector which will include life and accidental cover insurance The Congress government will scrap the contract system of appointments and there will be regular recruitments with a guarantee for secure jobs Jairam Ramesh addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever