NEW DELHI: The Congress and Lok Janshakti Party on Friday welcomed the government’s decision for a 4.5 percent reservation for minorities, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dubbed it as a poll stunt and the Communist Party of India of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Samajwadi Party termed the measure inadequate.
The quota decision, taken at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, has been hailed by Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh as fulfillment of an election promise. The Congress, which is making a detemined effort to unseat the Mayawati government in the state, is expected to highlight the quota decision to woo the Muslims during its campaign for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, who is in charge of the party’s affairs in Uttar Pradesh, supported the minorities quota decision and rejected the opposition’s allegation that it was a poll stunt.
He said reservation was otherwise not proving beneficial for minorities.
“They have been given a fixed quota so that the backward Muslims will get 4.5 percent out of the 27 percent reserved for backward castes. Earlier, they were left out of the benefits of quota…It was a poll promise which we have fulfilled,” Singh said.
The BJP dubbed the move as a pre-poll stunt and said the party rejected the idea of religion-based reservation.
“There is a decision for a quota within quota, which is wrong,” BJP leader Ananth Kumar told reporters.
“We are against a religion-based quota. The backward castes should get social justice and such religion based quota in not right for social equality,” he said.
Another BJP leader, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the move would divide people on basis of caste and religion.
“This step is a cheating with our constitution. The kind of step this government has taken, they want to cause a civil war in the country in the name of caste and religion,” Naqvi said.
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav termed the government’s move “a betrayal” and demanded that reservation should be given in accordance with population of Muslims in the state.
“It is betrayal. It should be 18 percent,” Yadav said, while also indicating that OBC reservation should be increased.
CPI-M leader Prakash Karat said the decision of the cabinet to provide 4.5 per cent reservation for minorities within the OBC quota was inadequate. He said the decision would not yield any major benefits to minority communities.
“It is inadequate. The Ranganath Mishra Commission report had recommended 10 percent reservation for Muslims and 5 percent for other minorities based on the socially and economically backward criteria,” he said.
LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan, however, welcomed the decision.
“It is not appeasement. It should have been done earlier. Even if it has been done in view of elections (in Uttar Pradesh), it is good. We should welcome it,” he said.
Muslims account for 18 per cent of UP’s estimated 200 million population and hold the key in nearly a fifth of its assembly constituencies.(IANS)