JAIPUR:A controversy erupted on Wednesday over the passage of two bills by Rajasthan Assembly that will push the quota percentage in the state to 68 per cent, much beyond the cap of 50 per cent, with Congress terming it as a “farcical attempt” even as the state government found nothing wrong.
The Assembly on Tuesday passed bills providing five per cent reservation to Gujjars and other communities under Special Backward Classes (SBC) and for 14 per cent quota to Economically Backward Classes (EBC) of unreserved categories.
With this, the reservation percentage will go up to 68 per cent whereas the Supreme Court has put a 50 per cent cap on quota.
Criticising this development, Congress leader Sachin Pilot said it was a “tragedy” that despite knowing very well that there is no provision in the Constitution for economically backward people to get reservation, the BJP government has made a “farcical attempt”.
Pilot said that under the Constitution, there was provision for reservation only for socially, educationally backward people.
BJP, meanwhile, clarified it does not support any change in the existing reservation policy and the 50 per cent quota for the SCs, STs and backwards castes was “not negotiable”. “While keeping the 50 per cent quota intact, the development of the poor among those who are not getting the benefits of reservation, besides the Dalits and backwards, has been a key aspect of our concerns and programmes,” Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said when asked about Rajasthan’s decision to extend quota on economic lines.