BENGALURU : Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Sunday insisted that the Constitution of India should be amended to increase the cap on reservations. Speaking at a press conference in Bengaluru, Athawale said that the poor and vulnerable in all castes and communities deserve reservation, but extending it to all is not possible without increasing the cap on reservations in education and jobs.
“Poor and economically backward people from all communities need reservations. The Supreme Court says reservation has to be under 50 per cent, but the cap has to be increased in order to provide aid to the oppressed classes. Talks have already been held with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard,” the minister said.
Responding to a question on the Karnataka government not releasing the caste census report, Athawale said that a caste census is required across the country and doing it in just one state won’t help.
Known for his controversial statements, Athawale said that there was a need to curb the spike in population among Muslims. The minister claimed that population control law is being introduced in Uttar Pradesh to reduce the spike in the Muslim population. He added that Muslim men are allowed to marry multiple women which means they have more children and hence the law. He was quick to add that the population of all communities needs to be controlled.