SC/ST activists oppose quota bill for upper castes

The activists are of the view that the basis of reservation was due to historical inequality and underrepresentation. They said reservations were not done based on poverty.

“Reservation is not a poverty alleviation programme. It is a question of representation of people who have been denied that in institutions for millennia. This move is obnoxious and a political stunt,” Vivek Kumar, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Ashok Bharti, chairman of the National Confederation of Dalit Organisations, said that upward castes are not underrepresented at any level of government.

“Giving people who are represented more than their share of population is not in line with the spirit of the Constitution. This is clear violation of the Constitution and an appeasement of upper castes,” he told HT.

"The government wants to please forward castes. It also shows their bias towards the marginalised communities as they are more concerned about poor forward castes,” Manjula Pradeep, an activist from Gujarat, told the media.

Principle opposition party Congress initially indicated that it would support the bill.

However, on Tuesday, the party said that it would prefer a parliamentary committee to look into the matter.

The bill, which is seen as a crucial move by the government before the Lok Sabha polls, is seeking to provide 10 per cent reservation for economically backward sections in the country in the general category in government jobs and even in higher educational institutions.

The bill is likely to benefit a huge section of upper castes including Brahmins, Rajputs (Thakurs), Jats, Marathas, Bhumihars, and several trading castes including Kapus and Kammas.

The economically deprived from other religions will also benefit from the bill's application.

Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawarchand Gehlot tabled the Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill, 2019 in the Parliament.

Addressing the house, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Supreme Court's 50 per cent limit only applies to caste-based reservation.

"Just as equals cannot be treated unequally, unequals cannot be treated equally... Reservation was always envisioned for socially or educationally backward, on the basis of caste. Therefore Supreme Court's judgment applies only to reservation of backward classes," Jaitley said.

Opposition reaction:

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has backed the bill but demanded more reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

"If the government is crossing the lakshman rekha (50 per cent Supreme Court limit), then OBCs should be given 54% quota," SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav said.

Despite projecting herself as a staunch opponent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming General Elections, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday said she will support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's recent reservation move.

Though she termed the move as an "election stunt", Mayawati said it will support the government to amend the constitution, which permits only 50 percent reservation.

The BSP supremo said: "The move is an election stunt of the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. But the BSP will support the amendment of the constitution. We have been speaking in favour of it for a long time."

Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has also lent support to the bill.

"I will be very happy if the weaker sections get the job. But my question is, in the name of so called election, can a government cheat the people or cheat the unemployed youth," Banerjee had earlier said.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has also backed the bill in the Lok Sabha by principle.

Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal said they are opposed to the quota bill.

Meanwhile, Ram Vilas Paswan of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) not only supported the bill but also praised the same.

However, several opposition leaders have said the move is an "election stunt" of the BJP as the country is heading towards the General Elections in less than 100 days.

Meanwhile, the government has also extended the Rajya Sabha proceedings by a day till Jan 9 to take up the proposed legislation on the 10 percent quota reservation for economically backward sections in the country in the general category, media reports said.

The Winter Session of the Parliament had started on Dec 11.

It was earlier scheduled to end on Jan 8.