With an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the 85th AICC plenary session in Raipur has laid out a heavy social justice agenda and pledged the party’s commitment to bring SC-ST-OBC reservation in higher judiciary and the private sector. It has also promised to set up a ministry for OBC affairs, introduce welfare schemes for minorities based on the Sachar Committee’s proposals, and a national legislation to ensure a portion of the budget is earmarked in proportion to the population of SCs and STs.

The plenary pledged quota within the pending Bill for 33% reservation for women in legislatures, inclusion of the poor among the socially backward within the EWS quota, and extended support for caste census.

The resolution also promised a job guarantee scheme for urban poor.

The party, which struggled to position itself since the Mandal-Kamandal political play, now appears making an overdrive to woo the socially backward sections, incidentally at a time when the Modi-led BJP has expanded its social reach, prompting many regional parties to intensifying identity politics and accuse the saffron regime of weakening the reservation policy.

“Congress commits to spearheading a radical new policy package of social justice,” said the resolution on social justice and empowerment, while promising to set up a National Council for Social Justice to create a new institutional architecture that “can redress structural fault-lines and problems created in the last nine years”.

It said, “To ensure that the judiciary is reflective of the social diversity of India, the Congress Party shall consider reservations for SCs-STs-OBCs in the higher judiciary.” Accusing the NDA regime of scuttling reservation and promising to ensure reservations to SCs and STs in proportion to their population, by revising the quota in every state once in 10 years, the AICC said, “To ensure diversity in all sectors, the Congress party is committed to a vision that will secure equal access to jobs in private organised sector for SCs, STs and OBCs.”

It said, “Commits to creating a dedicated ministry for the empowerment of the OBCs. The ministry will focus on expanding educational and employment opportunities of OBCs and provision of civic amenities…”Accusing BJP of refusing to conduct the caste census, the resolution said the Congress is committed “to conduct a socio-economic caste census along with the decennial census. The caste census shall also enumerate de-notified tribes and nomadic tribes.”

Backing the concept of reservations for the economically weaker sections, the resolution said, “Congress considers poor belonging to all communities to be economically weaker and, therefore, poor SC, ST, OBCs cannot be excluded from the EWS quota. Congress party would ensure that economically weaker section category students are given age relaxation on par with the age relaxation given to SCs and STs for entering into government services.”

Promising constitutional status to the National Commission for Minorities, it said, “Congress party commits to implement a special welfare scheme for minority welfare based on the recommendations of the Sachar Committee.”

On the pending women’s reservation Bill, it said, “…Shall ensure its passage with appropriate provision for reserved categories within the 33%.”