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  India   Politics  23 Mar 2018  Yogi’s ‘quota in quota’ may split dalits, OBCs

Yogi’s ‘quota in quota’ may split dalits, OBCs

THE ASIAN AGE. | AMITA VERMA
Published : Mar 23, 2018, 2:56 am IST
Updated : Mar 23, 2018, 4:26 am IST

At present, there is 27 per cent reservation for OBCs and a majority of the benefits under this are taken by Yadavs.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. (Photo: PTI)
 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. (Photo: PTI)

Lucknow: In a significant political move, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday announced that his government was working towards reservations for Most dalits and Most Backwards in Uttar Pradesh.

“We are committed to this because we will not allow one particular caste or group to take all the advantage of reservations. We have set up a committee which is working out the modalities. Hum isko lane jaa rahen. Humne ek committee bana di hai. Ab aisa nahin hoga ki ek varg hi sari suvidha lega,”  the CM said while speaking in the Assembly on the Budget debate.

The chief minister said this policy would apply to Group 3 and Group 4 jobs in government services. The announcement was greeted with slogans like “Adityanath ki jai”.

Political analysts see this as a renewed bid by the BJP to create a divide among OBCs and dalits, between the haves and have-nots in the two categories.

At present, there is 27 per cent reservation for OBCs and a majority of the benefits under this are taken by Yadavs. If a quota is set aside in this 27 per cent for Most Backwards, it is obvious that the Yadavs’ share will be reduced and this will hit the Samajwadi Party the most.

The reservation for Scheduled Castes is 22.5 per cent, and Jatavs are the biggest beneficiaries. If the quota for Most Dalits is set aside, the BSP will bear the brunt of it as Jatavs will have to share the benefits with other sub-castes.

The chief minister said in the Assembly that he would introduce reservations in Group 3 and 4 government jobs as the other cadres are governed by the Centre.

There are about five lakh employees in these categories and according to rough estimates, about 45 per cent belong to the OBC and SC categories.

Yadavs, in particular, have been strongly opposed to the reservation within reservation formula as it would take away a large share of the benefits they enjoy under the existing reservation policy.

It may be recalled that in 2001, then CM Rajnath Singh had proposed a similar reservation within reservation for Most Backwards and Most Dalits but his proposal was challenged by his own minister, Ashok Yadav, in the Supreme Court. The court had rejected the government’s proposal for a quota within quota and stayed its implementation.

On Thursday, the CM also mounted a scathing attack on the Opposition, particularly the Samajwadi Party. In his 70-minute speech, he attacked the SP for spreading canards about the working of his government and its Budget.

“They (SP) are saying that our first Budget in July last year has remained unutilised, whereas the fact is that our utilisation is 14 per cent more compared to the previous year, when the SP was in power. We have not only increased the budget for sectors like power, PWD, irrigation, but have also ensured their proper utilisation. There have been no cuts — the only cuts have been in corruption and crime for which we have shown zero tolerance”, he said.

Yogi Adityanath said his government had linked Central schemes with state schemes which had given a major push to development.

The chief minister invited SP leaders to tour their own constituencies and see the kind of development taking place. “The SP leaders only make baseless allegations and criticise us. They are even pushing their cattle into the fields to destroy crops so we can be blamed. But we are now setting up cow adoption centres to thwart their efforts”, he said.

He further warned that the land mafia, who enjoyed political patronage during SP rule, would now have to go to jail and government land would be freed from their control.

The chief minister said the success of the investors’ meet held last month had proved that the atmosphere in the state was changing for the better. “I am satisfied with the progress we have made in the past one year. It is much better than what the Akhilesh government had done. In fact, they had even left the Lucknow-Agra expressway half-finished”, he added.

Tags: yogi adityanath, rajnath singh, dalits
Location: India, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow