By IANS
New Delhi : Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati Thursday demanded redefining of the “creamy layer” among OBCs in the light of rising prices.
She also demanded a Constitutional amendment to ensure reservation for the economically weaker upper castes and religious minorities.
Welcoming the Supreme Court verdict on reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the UP chief minister said: “The union government should rethink the current definition of creamy layer for OBCs in the light of rising prices (and rising cost of living). Otherwise, many deserving students will be deprived of the benefit of reservation,” Mayawati told reporters.
The Supreme Court verdict upheld 27 percent reservation for OBCs in government-run higher educational institutions. It, however, kept the “creamy layer” among OBCs out of the ambit of reservation. The list includes wards of OBC MPs, MLAs and Class I officers.
“My party is happy and welcomes the decision of the constitution bench of the Supreme Court,” Mayawati said.
She sought quotas in higher educational institutions for economically weaker sections belonging to upper castes and religious minorities.
“I am writing to the union government to reserve seats for these sections. If a constitutional amendment is required for this purpose, it should be done. BSP will extend full support to such a Bill.”
Pointing out that institutions of higher education in UP were already providing reservation to OBCs, Maywati assured that she will implement the central law in letter and spirit.
“After this verdict it is also the responsibility of the union government to ensure implementation of OBC reservation in all such institutions,” she said.