Chhattisgarh: Bhim Army stages protest demanding 16pc reservation for Scheduled Castes in Raipur

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], February 2 (ANI): Bhim Army staged a protest demanding 16 per cent reservation for the Scheduled Castes category at Budha Talab area in the state capital Raipur on Thursday.
Founder and National president of Bhim Army, Chandrashekhar Azad also participated in the protests and said that the state government should stop playing with the society, otherwise they would have to face consequences in the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
A huge number of protestors gathered and also took out a rally on the occasion. They tried to gheraoed CM's house but the police stopped them near the Smart City. After which they submitted a memorandum to the administration.
Addressing the gathering, Azad said, "Today we have gathered here to strengthen the demand of the movement, which has been going in Raipur for the last one month. Our main demand is that when the BJP government was in power in 2008, they reduced the reservation for scheduled castes from 16 per cent to 12 per cent in the state. During the 2018 assembly election, the present Congress-led state government had promised that BJP had done injustice and if the congress government would come back in power then they would restore it."
"It has been more than four years but still Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has not fulfilled the promises made by him. We have come here to remind them about his promises. Today is our symbolic demonstration. We have given one month's time to the Chief Minister, if our demand is not fulfilled, then after March 2, we will organise a big movement in Raipur by calling the people across the state. We will gheraoed the CM House. We will visit all the gram sabhas, towns and cities across the state and will expose the lies of the government among the people. We oppose whatever unconstitutional action is being taken by the government," he added.
"People moving ahead by the reservation given by Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar should not work against the society at the behest of the government. The people of Chhattisgarh will teach them a lesson," Azad added. (ANI)