Saffron allies spar on quota in UP

Lucknow: The BJP is caught in a dilemma over the reservation within reservation issue in Uttar Pradesh.

While one ally, the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), has welcomed the division of the 27 per cent reservation allotted to other backward classes (OBC) into three equal shares for OBCs, most backward classes (MBC) and Extremely Backward classes (EBC), as suggested by a committee set up chief minister Yogi Adityanath, another ally the Apna Dal has opposed it.

The Apna Dal has said that reservation should be given in proportion to the population of a particular caste group. The Samajwadi Party, which is the main Opposition party in the state, also approves of this stand.

“We are opposed to this division within reservation. Our party line is clear – jiski jitni hissedari uski utni bhagidari. We want reservation in accordance to the population which can be decided by a caste census. We hope the BJP will take this into account before taking any decision on reservation within reservation,” said Brijendra Pratap Singh, the Apna Dal spokesman.

The Apna Dal’s opposition to the formula suggested by the committee is understandable since Kur-mis constitute about 24 pe-r cent of the OBC population while Yadavs constitute 40 per cent of the OBC population and a straight three-way division would leave them at a loss.

The SBSP, on the other hand, has threatened to walk out of the alliance  if the reservation-within-reservation formula is not implemented before the 2019 elections.

The committee, incidentally, was set up to correct the imbalance of castes groups like Yadavs and Kurmis who corner the major share of the 27 per cent OBC quota, leaving the other categories of more vulnerable OBCs high and dry.

The other castes in the OBC category like Ghosi, Nishad, Kevat, Kashyap, Bind, Darzi, Kamboj,  Rajbhars and a number of others do not get the benefit of quota provisions.

The committee was set up after the demand for a quota within quota was raised by UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar.