BSP chief Mayawati has called on the central government to clarify its stance by passing legislation in Parliament regarding the Supreme Court's recent ruling on the implementation of the creamy layer concept and sub-categorization within reservations.
She criticized the central government for not presenting a strong case in the Supreme Court on this crucial issue affecting Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, suggesting that a different outcome could have been possible if the government had done so.
Addressing the media at the BSP office on Saturday, Mayawati also raised the issue of caste-based census, stressing that it is the responsibility of the central government to conduct such a census. She reiterated that the BSP has always been in favor of this move.
Mayawati accused the BJP, Congress, and Samajwadi Party of historically being against reservations for SC and ST communities. She claimed that in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, these parties gained support from these communities by promising to protect reservation and the Constitution, which led to a setback for the BSP, a party that she claims is the true ally of these communities. Now, she says, these parties are silent and need to clarify their positions.
Calls for reservation in judiciary
Mayawati further demanded that reservations be implemented in the appointments to High Courts and the Supreme Court to ensure representation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the judiciary.
She accused the BJP of weakening the reservation system by reducing government jobs and not filling the reserved positions for SCs and STs, much like the Congress and Samajwadi Party did in the past.
Meanwhile, the NDA government at the center has made it clear that the Supreme Court's ruling on the creamy layer concept in reservations will not be implemented. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing concerns raised by SC and ST MPs before a cabinet meeting on Friday, assured them that his government would not allow any injustice to occur. He also assured them that the "quota within quota" decision would be reconsidered.
