Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 7: The General Category People’s Front of India (GCPF) criticized successive Congress and BJP Governments for failing to address the welfare of marginalized sections within the general category.
Addressing a press conference here today, GCPF president, Yash Paul Sanson accused both parties of engaging in divisive, vote-bank politics based on caste and religion to serve their political interests, while neglecting fundamental issues such as equality and justice.
Sanson emphasized that the Government had done nothing to dismantle caste-based discrimination, instead allowing caste to act as both a qualification and disqualification for various groups. This, he claimed, perpetuated a system of differential treatment, leaving large sections of society at a disadvantage. He urged the Government to put an end to this disparity and to promote policies based on the principles of equality, justice, liberty and dignity.
He also condemned the political establishment for tacitly supporting caste-based politics and alleged that the basic rights of the general category were being restricted, particularly the right to be elected. Sanson criticized the misuse of the SC/ST Atrocities Act and called for electoral reforms. In protest, he appealed to voters in reserved constituencies to either choose NOTA (None of the Above) or boycott the upcoming elections.
The GCPF also hailed recent verdicts from the Supreme Court of India and echoed the sentiments of prominent leaders such as Jatin Ram Manghi former Chief Minister of Bihar, and Korari Lal Meena, a senior BJP leader from Rajasthan. The Front supported the idea of excluding the creamy layer from reservations and introducing a quota within quotas for extremely backward sections, to prevent the monopolization of benefits by the elite among SC/ST groups.
Sanson concluded by demanding an end to the reservation system, calling it a “political crime” against the general category and advocating for a Universal Social Security and Equality Act.
Key GCPF members, including Raj Kumar Banathia, Som Nath Sharma, Jagdish Dogra and VK Sharma were present at the conference.
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