Sonia Gandhi also demanded reservation in government contracts for SC / ST professionals. (Archive)
Bombay:
The head of Congress, Sonia Gandhi, has written to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray, reminding him of the government’s Common Minimum Program (CMP) and seeking the implementation of certain measures for the well-being of Dalits and tribes.
The letter is significant as Ms Gandhi has written to Thackeray for the first time since her party formed an unlikely alliance with Shiv Sena together with the NCP to form the “Maha Vikas Aghadi” government (MVA) in the state on last year.
Among other things, Sonia Gandhi, in her letter dated December 14, demanded reservation in the government contracts of SC / ST professionals to promote entrepreneurship among them, congressional sources said.
He expressed confidence that the MVA government under Thackeray’s leadership will implement the CMP in letter and spirit, the sources added.
The budget allocation for the development of registered castes and tribes should be proportional to their participation in the population, he said.
The focus should be on bringing these communities on a par with the rest of society as soon as possible, Ms Gandhi said.
“… there should be legislative support to use the funds allocated (for SC / ST schemes) during the same financial year,” he said.
There should be recruiting drives to fill the backlog of vacancies in reserved positions, said the president of Congress.
The letter also gains importance in view of the upcoming Gram Panchayat elections in Maharashtra.
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