The matter will be raised "inside and outside" parliament, the Congress said (File)
The Congress has said it doesn't agree with the Supreme Court's Saturday judgement that quotas and reservation for promotion in government jobs isn't a fundamental right. The party said it is of the view that appointment of people from scheduled caste/scheduled tribe communities to government jobs is their right enshrined in the Constitution. The Lok Janshakti Party, the ruling BJP's ally, has also expressed its disagreement.
The matter will be raised "inside and outside" parliament, the Congress said.
"We respectfully say that we do not agree with this decision...the rights of Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes are not secured under the BJP government," senior party leader Mukul Wasnik was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"The Congress party believes that the appointment of SC/ST people to government posts should not be at the discretion of governments, but it is the fundamental right conferred by the Constitution," he added.
Chirag Paswan, LJP chief, demanded the centre restore reservation.
"The Lok Janshakti Party does not agree with such findings of the court. LJP demands Government Of India to restore reservation as provided under the Constitution of India," Chirag Paswan tweeted.
His father, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, said he has invited the "SC/ST" members of parliament at his residence on Monday to hold a discussion on the issue.
In a verdict delivered on appeals on reservations for SC/ST community members in promotions to Assistant Engineer (Civil) posts in the Public Works Department of the Uttarakhand government, the court said there was no "fundamental right" that allowed for such claims.
The court further said it could not compel states to provide quotas, and states could not be forced to make such provisions without data showing imbalance in representation of certain communities in public service.
"There is no doubt the state government is not bound to make reservations. There is no fundamental right which inheres in an individual to claim reservation in promotions. No mandamus can be issued by the court directing state governments to provide reservations," a bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and Hemant Gupta said on February 7.