After Nitish, Mayawati demands quota for SC/ST, OBC in private sector

LUCKNOW: Taking a cue from Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday reiterated her demand for a separate quota for poor upper castes and job reservation benefits to Dalits, tribals and OBCs in private sector.

Mayawati suggested the Bihar CM to facilitate the move instead of just demanding it as he is a part of the ruling coalition in the country now. “Instead of just demanding the reservation in private sector, the Bihar CM should impress upon the Centre to make the provision as soon as possible,” Mayawati said.                         

She recalled that her party had been making efforts in this direction for quite some time as not only the Centre and but state governments were also outsourcing a number of major works to private companies. “In the wake of rising job opportunities in private sector, the BSP demands the Centre to provide reservation to Dalits, tribals and OBCs in private sector as well,” she observed.

Pushing for the provision and expressing her disappointment over not being heard by the Centre over the issue, Mayawati exhorted the Union government to bring a constitutional amendment in this regard. She also pushed the plot for economically backward upper castes as well.

Targeting Nitish Kumar, Mayawati claimed that his Monday statement was just a rhetoric and cheap politics to hog the limelight and that it won’t serve any purpose. “If really interested, he should raise the issue with the PM himself,” she asserted.

Mayawati, who had been raising the issue during parliamentary debates, demanded PM Modi to make the much-needed move in this direction with due sincerity and honesty. She also demanded a separate quota for upper castes poor and religious minorities.

Moreover, firing a salvo at Sangh Parivar, she asked to refrain from giving a political colour to it.  
The BSP chief also raised the issue of quota in promotion by asking the Central government to implement it in a time-bound manner by bringing required changes in the Constitution of India.

The NCBC last year recommended that the government enact a law to make it mandatory for the sector to reserve 27 per cent of jobs for OBCs, while Union food minister Ram Vilas Paswan suggested that private sector voluntarily set aside jobs for SCs, STs and OBCs.