Mumbai

On Thursday, Prakash Ambedkar, President of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), sharply criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for failing to implement promotion reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in central government services. Ambedkar described this lapse as a serious setback to social justice. He highlighted that he had sent a letter to PM Modi on July 18, referencing constitutional provisions under Article 16(4A) and 16(4), but had yet to receive a response or see any progress on the matter. He expressed frustration over the ineffective implementation of these reservations in both government and educational sectors, and mentioned ongoing discussions about abolishing reservations altogether.

Ambedkar also accused the BJP-RSS of importing an ethnic cleansing model from Gujarat to Manipur, alleging systematic violence against the Christian Kukis and biased media portrayal. He criticized Congress for offering only superficial sympathy during elections while failing to take a strong stand on the issue. According to Ambedkar, both parties have betrayed and neglected tribal communities, and he urged them to clarify their strategies for addressing the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur. His comments follow his recent initiative to unite tribal groups in Maharashtra for the upcoming assembly elections.