There would be no sub-categorisation among the Scheduled Castes, Union Minister Ramvilas Paswan clarified hours after the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to set up a committee to examine the sub-categorisation of the Other Backward Castes (OBC).
“We at Lok Jan Shakti Party wholeheartedly welcome this decision. This will open doors for those who remain untouched by the benefits of reservation. It is a step forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal to bring power to the poor,” he said.
Reservations in the government service are a matter of getting stake in governance. “The reservations for Scheduled Castes did not have economic basis. It was essentially a social move. And that will not be tampered with. Such a move is unthinkable,” Mr. Paswan added.
Mr. Paswan conceded that among the OBCs, a few elite sections cornered the benefits which spurred this decision. He, however, sought to clarify that the apprehension that prominent OBC group like the Yadavs, identified as captive vote bank of certain parties like the Samajwadi Party, would not be adversely impacted.