Sycophancy will not work, people will get place on basis of work: Cong's SC dept chief

New Delhi, Jun 12 (PTI) Newly-appointed chief of the Congress' Scheduled Caste Department Rajendra Pal Gautam on Thursday said"sycophancy" will not work in his department and one will get a place in the organisation only based on work.

Speaking with reporters, Gautam said he will try to live up to the trust the Congress leadership has shown in him and will fight for the rights of the deprived sections.

Gautam, a former Delhi minister who resigned from the AAP last year to join the Congress ahead of the assembly polls, comes amid a strong push by the party for its social justice agenda. He had resigned from the post of Social Welfare Minister of Delhi in October 2022 after a political controversy arose over his alleged remarks against Hindu deities.

"The Congress party has given me the responsibility to raise the voice of those who are being treated unfairly. I assure the Bahujan Samaj of the country that I will not compromise with the ideology of great people at any cost," he said.

"No sycophancy will be tolerated, I want the practice of touching feet should be given up, bringing gifts and giving bouquets should be stopped...people will get a place in the organisation on the basis of work," he said.

"Whenever the Congress was strong, good plans were made for us. Baba Saheb Ambedkar ji got the opportunity to become the head of the drafting committee of the Constitution, and he gave us equal rights by giving us the Constitution," he said.

The Congress leader said that during Indira Gandhi's time, banks were nationalised, due to which thousands of people from deprived sections got jobs in public sector undertakings.

He alleged that at present, scholarships for children of SC, ST, OBC and minority sections are not being given on time. PTI ASK RHL