Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Minister for culture and tourism Usha Thakur stoked a controversy on Wednesday by saying that reservation should be based on economic criterion.
Thakur, however, hastened to add that the reservation would depend on the atmosphere as created by the system based on Constitution and society.
The minister who recently announced that she would take Rs 100 for selfie with her from people to donate the amount to the party (BJP) fund was talking to newspersons on the sidelines of a programme held at the state BJP office on Wednesday.
When asked by a journalist if there should not be reservation based on economic criterion to bring to an end politics over castes she said, “It’s true that it (reservation) should be based on economic criterion. There is no ambiguity over it. However, (we) will go ahead as per the atmosphere created by the system based on Constitution and the society.”
The journalists’ questions came in the light of the other backward classes (OBC)’ agitation in Bhopal on Wednesday who demanded implementation of the then Congress government’s decision to provide enhanced reservation to the OBC from 14% to 27%.
Reacting upon the minister’s remarks the state Congress media coordinator Narendra Saluja said, “On one hand Shivraj Singh Chouhan government says that it will provide 27% reservation to the OBC but on the other hand a minister from Shivraj Cabinet exposes the true face of the BJP government. She is openly advocating reservation based on economic condition of people. The BJP leadership must made its stand clear on the issue if Shivraj Singh Chouhan government is in favour of economy based reservation.”
