Dalit leader for reservation to poor upper caste

Rohtak, June 22 (UNI) Former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister and veteran Dalit leader Chaudhary Chand Ram has demanded reservation in government jobs for the poor belonging to the upper castes.

Addressing a press conference here today, senior Congress leader Chand Ram said that economically weaker upper caste people also deserved reservation in appointments to various posts in the Union as well as state government departments for their uplift.

The Dalit leader said he had been persistently working for making provisions for the welfare of the poor people, irrespective of their caste.

''Farmers having less than five acres of land were exempted from payment of 'Ugahi' (water charges) when I was the deputy chief minister holding revenue department in Haryana,'' the senior congress leader said.

He claimed that he had also made provision of reservation for economically weaker sections in allotment of transport permits as the Union Shipping and Surface Transport Minister in the year 1978.

Referring to the issue of backlog of reserved posts for scheduled castes lying vacant in various department of the state government, Mr Chand Ram urged Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to clear the backlog of reserved posts.

He said about 27,000 reserved posts were lying vacant in various departments.

UNI