PATNA: Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Saturday said his party would appeal against the recent Supreme Court judgemnt allowing sub-groups within the 15% reservation for Scheduled Castes.
He said reservation was given to Scheduled Castes not on the economic criteria but on their social exclusion as they were considered untouchables.
“There are instances that temples have been washed with Ganga jal after even several ‘big names’ visiting there. These incidents only demonstrate that the discrimination is not based on the economic criteria and also not on the basis of how much a person has progressed in his/her respective field, but because some people still accept the practice untouchability,” he said.
The court also ruled that the creamy layer must be excluded from Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) for reservations.
“The reservation was given to all SCs only because they have suffered the scourge of untouchability. So, when the reservation was given on the criteria of untouchability, there cannot be provisions for creamy layer or reservation within reservation,” he added.
He also expressed his surprise over the word ‘untouchability’ not even finding a mention in the judgment.
“We oppose the Supreme Court judgment allowing states to create sub-groups within Scheduled Castes for a slice of the 15% quota,” the Union minister added.