Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati said her party, the BSP, does not agree with the Supreme Court verdict allowing sub-classification of scheduled castes and tribes. She said this is because the atrocities faced by these communities were equal and as a group.
“The sub-classification of people within scheduled castes (SC) and scheduled tribes (ST) has been permitted, our party doesn’t agree with it at all,” Mayawati said while addressing a press conference.
“Because the atrocities faced by the people of SCs and STs have been faced as a group and this group is equal in which it would not be right to do any kind of sub-classification,” she said.
The BSP chief said while this is an important verdict regarding reservation, her party is dissatisfied with it. “A seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court, on August 1, gave an important verdict regarding the reservation of SC and ST. Sub-classification of SC and ST has been recognised in this verdict of the Supreme Court, among other things, with which our party expresses its dissatisfaction,” she said.
She further said in this regard (Devinder Singh vs the State of Punjab), state governments will be able to create new lists of reserved classes in the name of sub-classification that will give rise to new issues. “The Supreme Court, via this verdict, has overturned its 20-year-old verdict given in 2004 by a five-judge bench in the EV Chinnaiah vs State of Andhra Pradesh, which did not allow the classification of the SC/ST. It had also cleared the air around the sub-classification of SC and ST…” she added.
In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the SCs, which form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation to uplift castes that are socially and educationally more backward.
“We have appealed to the honourable Supreme Court to reconsider its decision, otherwise if the reservation facility given by the most revered Baba Saheb to make crores of Dalits and tribals stand on their feet in this country is abolished, it will become very difficult,” she said.
She also said those who say SC/STs have become economically strong, only 10 or 11 per cent of the people must have become strong as the condition of the rest 90 per cent is poor. “With this decision of the Supreme Court, about 90 per cent of the people who need reservation will be left far behind. If they are removed according to this decision, it will be very bad.”
Mayawati targeted the ruling party and the Congress. “The Centre and the BJP, who say that they are the supporters of the SC/ST community, should advocate for them properly… which they did not. The Congress also adopted a vague attitude on the matter,” she said, adding, “in such a situation, we have to tell the BJP government at the Centre that if your intention is clear then whatever decision has come, you people should amend the Constitution in Parliament and bring it in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.”
Raising questions on the intentions of political parties, she said, “I do not accept the decision taken by the Supreme Court because Parliament also has the right to overturn it. If they do not overturn it, then whether it is the Congress, the BJP, or other parties, their intentions are not clear in the matter of reservation for SCs, STs and OBC.”
Calling the Supreme Court’s judgment “vague”, she said the court has not yet set any standard. “In a way, under the guise of this, the state governments will make the reservation that SC/STs have been getting till now, ineffective. People will not get the benefit of it.”
“The reservation that SC/STs have got is on the basis of equalising educational, social and economic disparity. The social perspective has not changed regarding them, so it is important for them to get reservation,” she added.
(With PTI inputs)
Comments
0 comment