The Hindu : Sonia writes to Advani on ST quota issue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 24, 2002

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Sonia writes to Advani on ST quota issue

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI DEC. 23 . The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, has asked the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, to expedite the withdrawal of a Home Ministry communication to keep in abeyance the implementation of reservation for the Scheduled Tribes by the Delhi Government.

In a letter to Mr. Advani, in her position as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Ms. Gandhi said that in 1995, the Home Ministry had declared that the percentage of reservation prescribed for recruitment of the Scheduled Tribes on an all-India basis should be followed in Delhi. But, the BJP Government, headed by Sahib Singh Verma, had decided to withhold the provision.

However, the Congress Government, led by Sheila Dikshit, had resolved to revive and continue with the reservation.

Despite this "unambiguous" decision, it "is a matter of distress that your Ministry has advised the State Government that the execution of the decision be kept in abeyance", she added.

The Home Ministry had referred the matter to the Attorney-General even when the opinion of the Law Ministry was already available.

"In the absence of a clear decision by the Government of India, the matter has already been pending for more than a year," Ms. Gandhi said, while urging Mr. Advani to look into the matter.

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