NEW DELHI: A day after the Supreme Court upheld the 10% quota for the Economically Weaker Sections in educational institutions and government jobs, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Tuesday upped the ante, demanding the removal of the 50% cap on quota, and reviving his demand for a nationwide caste survey.
Though the Congress has welcomed the verdict, its ally in Tamil Nadu, the DMK said it would file a review petition in the Supreme Court. The CPI said the SC verdict should be referred to a full bench for a review.
“The SC ruling is fair enough. We always supported quota. However, it is high time that 50% limit should be increased. The cap is depriving OBCs and EBCs of opportunities in proportion to their population,” said Nitish.
He said that there should be a rethink of the caste census. “We have undertaken that exercise. But this needs to be done at the national level,” said the Bihar CM. “The verdict hits at the heart of equality enshrined in the Constitution,” said the DMK, describing the judgment as a setback for the century-old struggle for social justice. Chief Minister M K Stalin has called an all-party meeting on November 12.
The CPI has said the judgment has brought to the front “pertinent questions” about its impact on reservation for SCs/STs and OBCs in the absence of caste census, non-availability of data and criteria to determine the economically weaker sections of forward castes.
“The judgment has created apprehensions with several political parties and social movements demanding that the judgment be referred to a larger constitution bench for a clarification,” said the CPI. The party stressed that the legislative intent behind quota wasn’t poverty alleviation, but affirmative action for deprived sections of society.