NEW DELHI: BJP on Friday said the government had not consulted the Backward Class Commission before arriving at its decision to give 4.5 per cent reservation to minorities from the OBC quota and alleged the measure was a part of UPA’s attempt to play votebank politics.
BJP national secretary Bhupendra Yadav maintained that even in the “discredited” Ranganath Commission report, 55 Muslim communities are part of the Central list for OBCs. “Attempt of the government to bifurcate the Backward Class reservation on religious basis is unconstitutional and against the object of social justice,” Yadav said.
He said government had till now given no justification as to why it took the 4.5 per cent subquota within the 27 per cent quota decision for minorities where no such recommendation had been made by the Backward Class Commission.
“Backward Class reservation is based on the criteria of social and educational backwardness. In case, groups of backward class citizens are similarly placed, there cannot be any basis of special reservation for groups merely because they belong to a certain religion,” the BJP leader said.
The BJP maintained that recently some more groups have been added by the Backward Class Commission to the list of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and there was “discrimination” on religion basis in this exercise. “It is, therefore, apparent that the creation of 4.5 per cent subgroup is the result of vote bank politics in the light of Uttar Pradesh elections. The government has utterly failed to achieve the objects of social justice enshrined in our Constitution,” Yadav said.
He said “unfortunately” BSP and SP are silent on the issue. (PTI)