BENGALURU: AHIMSA, an association of minorities, backward classes and general category employees of the state government has threatened the Siddaramaiah government of serious consequences ahead of the assembly elections if their interests are sacrificed in order to appease Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe employees. Members of the forum, who held a a massive rally in city on Friday, demanded the government to implement the Supreme Court orders which had rejected reservation for promotions in SC/ST employees.
The rally was taken out from Freedom Park to Palace Grounds where Bengaluru Development Minister K J George accepted a memorandum. AHIMSA state president M Nagaraj said reservation in promotion is unfair to a majority of the employees as, under the existing policy, they had to wait for 20 years to get their first promotion.
According to Nagaraj, the government was supposed to reserve 15% of the posts for SCs and 3% of the posts to STs in promotions. But in many cases, more than 80% of the promotions were given to SCs and STs which the Supreme Court has reversed. More number of SC and ST employees than actually eligible had been promoted to senior positions due to wrong reservation policy adopted by the government, he said.
L Ravi, general secretary of the forum, said, “The state government is planning to bring a Bill in the next session to continue with the old rule. We will go back to the court if that happens. If they do not implement the Supreme Court orders, we will launch a non-cooperation movement and also make our mind known during the elections.”
He said, the Supreme Court, in its order in February, had directed state to reverse the promotions and to appoint eligible persons within six months. After the state asked sought extension, the apex court gave time till November 30. “If the government does not act by then, it will amount to contempt of court,” he said.The chief secretary and principal secretary energy Department and PWD have been named as the respondents in this case.
