Parliamentary committee's shocking report: Congress exposed BJP's 11 years of inaction, said make law immediately!
New Delhi- Congress leaders Rajendra Pal Gautam, MLA Dr. Vikrant Bhuria and Anil Jaihind in an aggressive press conference recently made serious allegations against the BJP-led central government for not implementing the constitutional reservation for Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Class (OBC) students in private educational institutions. They exposed the ignorance of the rights given under Article 15(5) of the Constitution, which provides for reservation for SC, ST and OBC students in private higher educational institutions.
Citing a recent report of a parliamentary committee headed by senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, the leaders revealed that only 12% of Bahujan students have access to private institutions. This is a sad fact and underlines the discrimination prevalent in society and the backwardness of underprivileged communities.
They attributed this to 11 years of inaction by the BJP, privatisation of education, and rising fees. The Congress demanded immediate legislation, free coaching, scholarships, and anti-discrimination measures to ensure equal opportunities for Bahujan students.
Article 15(5) and legal victories, still not implemented
AICC SC Department National President Rajendra Pal Gautam at the beginning of the press conference highlighted India’s growing population and the growing demand for higher education. He pointed out that the lack of government educational institutions has led to the rise of private institutions, but the absence of reservation and high fees have made these institutions out of reach for SC, ST and OBC students. Gautam discussed the landmark amendment made by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh under the UPA-1 government, which added Article 15(5) to the Constitution. This article provides for 27% reservation for OBCs, 15% for SCs, and 7.5% for STs, including in private educational institutions.
He referred to three important Supreme Court judgments that upheld this provision. In 2008, in Ashok Kumar Thakur vs Union of India, the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court upheld reservation for SC/ST/OBCs in private institutions. This was further strengthened in 2011 by dismissing the challenge of the Indian Medical Association. Finally, in 2014, in Pramati Educational and Cultural Trust vs Union of India, the Supreme Court clearly stated that Article 15(5) is constitutional and does not violate anyone’s fundamental rights. Gautam stressed that the central and state governments can implement it, but no effective law has been made in the 11 years since the BJP came to power in 2014.
Gautam also cited the fee structure of private institutions as a hindrance. For example: The annual cost of a B.Pharm degree at BITS Pilani is Rs 11 lakh, which reaches up to Rs 44 lakh for a four-year degree. The tuition fee for a BA programme at OP Jindal Global University for 2025-26 is Rs 6.5 lakh and hostel fee Rs 3.5 lakh, which comes to around Rs 10 lakh per year. Courses like the six-year BA Honours can cost over Rs 60 lakh. Gautam said it is impossible for even Class 1 bureaucrats to afford such fees, depriving SC/ST/OBC students of education.
Parliamentary committee report: Only 12% Bahujan representation
The leaders cited the report of the standing committee of Parliament headed by Digvijaya Singh, which focused on education, health, women and youth affairs. After extensive interaction with vice-chancellors of universities, higher education officials and leading institutions, the committee presented shocking statistics: the share of SC students in private educational institutions is only 0.89%, ST 0.53%, and OBC 11.16%. This shows only 12% representation for the 90% Bahujan population (SC/ST/OBC), which undermines the principle of equality.
All India Adivasi Congress chairman Dr Vikrant Bhuria described education as “lioness’ milk” and quoted Babasaheb Ambedkar’s statement that right to vote and reservation are essential for equality. He accused the BJP of a “planned conspiracy” that includes weakening government institutions, not opening new ones, and closing old ones. This has led to education shifting to the private sector, where reservation does not apply. Bhuria said that 90% of Bahujan society getting only 12% representation is the “biggest irony of democracy”.
The committee, which comprised 31 MPs from various parties, unanimously recommended 15% reservation for SCs, 7.5% for STs, and 27% for OBCs in private higher education. Bhuria described Article 15(5) as “revolutionary” but targeted the BJP’s 11 years of inaction, saying the government prioritised corporate interests. He described vote theft, PSU privatisation, and denial of education as a systematic injustice against 90% of the population.
The report also mentioned caste-based discrimination in premier institutions, where SC/ST students admitted under reservation quotas face stigma and discrimination from classmates and faculty, which affects their performance and mental health. The committee recommended strict anti-discrimination policies, grievance redressal cells, sensitization programmes, free coaching, bridge courses, and scholarships to prevent dropouts due to financial reasons.
The lack of government educational institutions has led to the rise of private institutions, but the lack of reservation and high fees have made these institutions out of reach for SC, ST and OBC students.
BJP’s inaction, demands immediate action
AICC OBC wing president Anil Jaihind accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who claims to be an OBC, of causing more harm than Manusmriti supporters. Chaudhary said that on January 29, 2014, the Supreme Court had upheld the UPA law as constitutional, but the BJP did not take any action on it for 11 years, while EWS reservation was passed in 48 hours.
He cited parliamentary data: India has 517 private universities and over 45,000 degree colleges, of which only 21.5% are government (where reservation applies) and 78.5% are private (without reservation). Chaudhary described the last 11 years as the “darkest” for SC/ST/OBCs since Independence, with a return to the Manuwadi system through expensive education and privatisation. He criticised the “Not Found Suitable” (NFS) practice in appointments, where qualified SC/ST/OBC candidates are rejected, and ignoring the OBC creamy layer income limit (Rs 8 lakh since 2017, to be reviewed in 2020). Chaudhary demanded that the vacant seats of non-creamy layer OBCs be given to creamy layer OBCs, as is done in EWS. They lauded Rahul Gandhi’s demand for a caste census, comparing the BJP’s initial criticism and subsequent acceptance under public pressure, but questioned the delay in the census scheduled for 2021. They demanded a comprehensive survey like Telangana, covering social, economic, educational, and political dimensions. They also demanded inclusion of the Mandal Commission’s 38 outstanding recommendations and Telangana-Bihar OBC reservation demands in the Ninth Schedule.
The leaders described Digvijaya Singh’s report as a milestone of social justice like the Mandal Commission. They demanded full implementation of Article 15(5) from the Central government, reservation in private institutions, and support mechanism for marginalised students. The press conference ended with questions from journalists, with the Congress reiterating its commitment to justice, equality, and fraternity.
Geetha Sunil Pillai
Courtesy : Hindi News