Congress to raise demand for removal of 50% quota cap in Monsoon session

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday renewed its call to include the Bihar reservation law in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, push for a constitutional amendment to lift the 50% cap on reservations, and implement Article 15(5) to extend quotas for SCs, STs, OBCs, and EBCs in private educational institutions.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said most definitely the party will take up these three issues of fundamental importance to social justice and empowerment in the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament.

"The PM is in Bihar today. On the basis of the caste survey conducted by the erstwhile INDIA bloc Government in Bihar, the Bihar Government had proposed 65% reservation for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, and EBCs. This is under challenge in the Courts," Ramesh said on X.

He said the double-engine government in Bihar had virtually given up but added that there are three long-standing measures the party has been advocating to make 65% reservations a reality.

He reiterated the demand to include the Bihar reservation law in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution—similar to what the Narasimha Rao government did in 1994 to protect 69% quotas in Tamil Nadu.

Ramesh also called for amending the Constitution to bypass the 50% ceiling on reservations for SCs, STs, OBCs, and EBCs—a limit, he said, that stems from a series of Supreme Court rulings spanning six decades.

"Article 15(5) enables reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, and EBCs in private educational institutions also. This has been unimplemented in the past 11 years after the Supreme Court had upheld the Constitutional amendment that was introduced by Dr. Mannohan Singh's government in 2006," he said.

Most definitely the Congress will take up these three issues of fundamental importance to social justice and empowerment in the Monsoon session of Parliament that begins on July 21, 2025, Ramesh said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on a two-day visit across three states beginning Friday, during which he will launch a slew of development projects in Bihar and Odisha and take part in a mass yoga event marking the International Day of Yoga.

According to an official statement, Modi will visit Siwan in Bihar and Bhubaneswar in Odisha, where he will also address public gatherings.

In Siwan, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Vaishali-Deoria railway line project—valued at over ₹400 crore—and flag off a new train service along the route.

(inputs from PTI)