Sanjay Saxena
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Modi government stand with the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the quota within a quota for ST-SC reservations. Meanwhile, the Modi government has declared the Supreme Court’s decision to exclude the creamy layer from the SC/ST reservation as unconstitutional and has refused to accept it. Despite this, opposition leaders continue to attack the Modi government.
Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav is taking every step to make his party appear larger than the BJP on the issue of reservation within reservation, seeking political gain.
In this context, Akhilesh Yadav stated that the fundamental purpose of any reservation should be the empowerment of the neglected society, not the division or fragmentation of that society. This undermines the fundamental principle of reservation. He said that if the PDS (Public Distribution System) is the lifeline of the Constitution, then reservation is its vital air. Akhilesh’s statement is seen as significant in light of the recent Supreme Court decision regarding sub-categorization of reservation. Earlier, BSP supremo Mayawati had also held a press conference opposing the sub-categorization of reservation and questioned the intentions of the SP and Congress on this matter.
In an official statement released on August 11, Akhilesh Yadav said that the gap created by generations of discrimination and lack of opportunities cannot be bridged by changes in a few generations. Reservation is a constitutional path to empower and strengthen the oppressed and marginalized society. There is no need to change its provisions. He said that the BJP government always tries to weaken the reservation fight through vague statements. When pressured by various components of the PDS, they show fake sympathy and then retreat. Akhilesh stated that the BJP’s internal thinking has always been anti-reservation. The BJP’s credibility on the issue of reservation has become zero. Overall, Akhilesh Yadav wants to keep the Dalit vote bank, which shifted from the BSP to him in the Lok Sabha elections, by challenging the BJP on the issue of reservation.
(Written by Sanjay Saxena, Lucknow; these views are solely his own. The author can be reached at skslko28@gmail.com.)
