Mar 04, 2025 04:27 PM IST
The former Congress chief said the Constitution provides for the appointment of a chairperson, vice-chairperson and members to the NCSC and the NCBC
Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has written to Virendra Kumar, Union minister of Social Justice and Empowerment over vacancies in the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) urging the government to fill the vacancies without delay.
Posting the letter on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, Gandhi said, “Thousands of Dalits and backward people are fighting for justice across the country. The demand for caste census is echoing everywhere”.
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Gandhi, in the letter, said that while the Chairperson and two members of the 7th NCSC were appointed on March 3, 2024, the position of Vice-Chairperson has remained vacant for nearly a year.
“The deliberate attempt to undermine and weaken the NCSC exposes the anti-Dalit mindset of this government,” Gandhi said.
He added that the NCSC plays a critical role in protecting the rights of Dalits and that its weakened state could hinder the resolution of issues affecting this community.
Gandhi also mentioned that the Vice-Chairperson’s position in the NCBC has been vacant for nearly three years.
The NCBC is currently operating with a chairperson and only one member. Gandhi said that since the NCBC’s establishment in 1993, the commission has typically included at least three members in addition to the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson.
“The position of Vice-Chairperson of the NCBC has remained vacant for nearly three years,” Gandhi said.
“This deliberate omission at a juncture when the nation-wide chorus for a caste census has grown louder, is shocking”, his letter stated.
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