The Congress manifesto for the 2014 elections has something that has made Indian Inc worried. A new slogan – “Aapki Aawaz Hamara Sankalp (Your Voice Our Commitment)” you will get to see on Congress manifesto 2014. The party has assimilated the views and suggestions from diverse sections of the people in its document.
India Inc is worried about the Congress party’s election promise to extend job reservation to the private sector. CII president Mr. S. Gopalakrishnan told journalists said that they would discuss the issue with the Congress party because they fear that reservation in the private sector will hamper the competitiveness in our industry.
The joint MD of Hero Motocorp, Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal is of the opinion that affirmative action has nothing wrong with it but what they have objection for is the reservation in the private sector.
Maruti Suzuki chairperson R.C. Bhargava told Mail Today, “Quota in private jobs is fine but it should not affect the competitiveness of Indian industry… If quota in private jobs is implemented arbitrarily, it would hurt the competitiveness and growth of Indian industry.”
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) said the manifesto provides an inspirational vision on many key concerns facing the economy. “Inclusive growth is an imperative. However, the wide variety of rights must be only based on sound economic health of the country,” president Sidharth Birla said.
Venugopal Dhoot, chairperson and managing director, Videocon Industries, said, “Reservation has been part of Congress manifesto during earlier elections as well. We had earlier discussed with the government for initially having five percent quota in the private sector and then gradually increasing it to 20 per cent. However, reservation in private jobs must be limited to the rank of deputy managers,” he added.
The Congress has promised to create a national consensus on affirmative action for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the private sector apart from setting up 70 new universities in its manifesto. The party has also promised to create a separate national commission for youth and students to address issues cropping out of discrimination.
Affirmative action like providing equal opportunities in the private sector for SC’S and ST’s has been Congress’s agenda since 2004. The manifesto also talks about women’s empowerment, including reservation for them in the legislative bodies. Rahul Gandhi took personal interest in the drafting of the manifesto and met a cross-section of people including women, youth, minorities, porters, farmers, and anglers, for their views.
