Amit Shah says BJP will not abolish SC/ST quota

BHAWANIPATNA: Slaming the Opposition parties for backing the Bharat Bandh, BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the Central government would neither scrap the policy of reservation for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities in education and jobs nor allow anyone to do so.

Addressing a massive public rally here, he said that “no one can dare to change” the reservation policy “as set by BR Ambedkar in the Constitution”.

The BJP chief also wondered why the Congress and other parties called for the Bharat Bandh when the Centre had announced that it would file a review petition in the Supreme Court.

He also slammed the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government in Odisha, saying it was a completely non-performing administration and called upon his party men to overthrow it in the 2019 elections.

Mr Shah though the Narendra Modi government had provided '45,000 crore to the state since it came to power at the Centre in 2014, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had failed to ensure development of the state. “It’s very shocking that still 36 per cent of the Odisha’s households lack electricity supply. Around 50 lakh people in the state are living in kutcha houses. Besides, drinking water supply to all households remains a distant dream,” said Mr Shah.

Stating that Odisha Mr Patnaik had wasted 18 long precious “lethargy” and “laziness,” the BJP chief said Odisha could catch up with development of BJP-ruled states Gujarat and Maharas-htra, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand which made rapid progress  due to political stability and efficient administration.

“The Modi-led government has decided to ensure electricity supply to every household of the country before 2021. Pucca houses will be given to each poor family before 2022,” Mr Shah said.