Dr. Udit Raj said removal of Art 370 will facilitate reservation in J&K

BJP MP and Dalit leader Udit Raj has sought immediate removal of Article 370 to facilitate reservation to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBC's in Jammu and Kashmir.

At a rally at Ramleela Ground in the national Capital on Tuesday, the All India Confederation of SC and ST Organisations protested against privatisation and outsourcing of jobs, terming these threats to the reservation policy.

"Even after Independence, socioeconomic conditions of people belonging to SC, ST and backward communities have not changed much," Udit Raj, who is also the president of the organisation, said.

Members of the outfit from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and many other states participated in the rally.

"Government departments are going for contract system in employment, and outsourcing of jobs and works have become the order of the day. This has adversely impacted people covered under reservation," the North West Delhi MP said.

"Ever since privatisation began, SC's and ST's have started getting alienated not only from the governance, but also from economic activities," he claimed.

Participants at the rally supported the demand for passing of a Bill to remove all hindrances in the path of reservation in promotion.

They demanded reservation in the private sector, land to landless people, reservation in higher judiciary and in the armed forces, ban on contractual system in recruitment, and removal of Article 370 of the Constitution to pave the way for reservation in Jammu and Kashmir.