By IANS,
Lucknow : More than 18 lakh Uttar Pradesh government employees have been asked to strike work Wednesday to protest the central government decision to move a constitutional amendment bill for reservations for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in government job promotions.
The call for the agitation has been given by the Sarvajan Hitay Sanrakshan Samiti (SHSS).
Announcing the statewide protests, SHSS president Shailendra Dubey warned the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government not to present the constitutional amendment bill and threatened of serious repurcussions for both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if they went ahead to support it.
“All the parties which support the amendment should be prepared to face the backlash of 80 percent employees of the general category and other backward classes (OBC) in form of vote against them in the forthcoming elections,” Dubey warned.
State employees and officials opposed to the move would hold protests at all district headquarters and the state capital and a massive protest rally has been planned at 3 p.m. in front of the Vidhan Sabha. Emergency services however have been kept out of the stir.
The proposed bill seeks to amend at least four articles of the constitution to enable the government to provide quota in promotions for Scheduled Castes (SCs)/ Scheduled Tribes (STs). The bill is likely to be tabled in parliament on Wednesday or Thursday. Parliament’s monsoon session concludes Friday.