Congress should prove its pro-Dalit stance and give its quota Rajya Sabha seat to a Dalit: Kalsotra

Jammu: 03.10.2025: R.K. Kalsotra, State President of the DOMA (Dalit, OBC, Minority, Tribal) Confederation J&K, voiced his opinion that while the Congress Party, and Rahul Gandhi and Kharge, are often heard claiming that Congress is the only party that works for the welfare of Dalits, OBCs, minorities, and tribals, it is a matter of serious concern that the Congress Party has not given SC/ST/OBC leaders from Jammu and Kashmir the opportunity to contest parliamentary elections since 1952, despite the SC population in Jammu province being 25%, STs being 15%, and OBCs being over 31% in the UT (as per the 1931 census). The Jammu region has two Lok Sabha constituencies, represented by Brahmins, Rajputs, and Mahajan.

The state also has four Rajya Sabha constituencies. Kalsotra strongly recommended that the Congress-designated seat be given to a young and energetic SC/ST/OBC candidate to strengthen the party’s image at the grassroots level, proving that Congress does what it preaches. Even in the last parliament election, Congress declared the Jammu seat to Tara Chand, former Deputy Chief Minister (SC), but reversed and allotted it to a Brahmin candidate.

On the other hand, Kalsotra also stated that social justice measures like reservations in recruitment and promotions in Jammu and Kashmir only began in 1970. It took the governments of that time  20 years to implement Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s rights to castes. Successive governments, from 2015 to the present, have banned reservation in promotions, the backlog of posts are not being cleared, caste atrocities have increased, and even land allotted to the Dalits is being snatched.