The bill needs to be a constitutional amendment as it will overshoot the Supreme Court’s 50 per cent cap on quotas
New Delhi: In a big decision, the central government has decided to move a constitutional amendment to enable 10 per cent reservation in government jobs and education for economically weaker upper castes just months ahead of the national election.
A constitutional amendment bill is likely to be moved tomorrow.
Sources say the cabinet has approved a quota in direct recruitment and for admission in higher educational institutions. The decision, say sources, is in line with the view of its ideological mentor RSS or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that reservation should be along economic lines and not just based on caste.
The government’s big move comes at a time the ruling BJP is seen by many to have lost its invincibility after its election defeats to the Congress in three major heartland states.
Sources say the bill has to be a constitutional amendment as it overshoots the Supreme Court’s 50 per cent cap on quotas. Any increase from that limit will be subject to judicial scrutiny and is unlikely to get parliamentary approval immediately.
With the colossal move, the government wants to show that it is committed to the general population who do not have reservations. A large section of upper caste and middle class voters were seen to be upset with the ruling BJP over quotas only for Scheduled Caste and Tribes and Other Backward Castes (SC/STs and OBCs).
