After Supreme Court's Quota Ruling, Nitish Kumar Revives An Old Demand - NDTV

Patna/Chennai:

A time aft the Supreme Court backed the Centre's 10 per cent quota for the mediocre oregon EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) successful jobs and education, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called for a nationwide caste census portion his Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin's enactment said his authorities would situation the determination successful court.

The Supreme Court said the quota is not discriminatory and does not change the basal operation of the constitution. The verdict is simply a immense triumph for the ruling BJP astatine the Centre, which introduced the quota conscionable earlier the 2019 wide election, aft losing 3 cardinal bluish states.

MK Stalin's enactment DMK volition record a reappraisal petition successful the Supreme Court. "The verdict hits astatine the bosom of equality enshrined successful the constitution," said the party, stating that the quota is "against societal justness and equality" and a setback for the century-old conflict for societal justice.

Mr Stalin besides called for an all-party conscionable connected Saturday to sermon the mode forward.

Nitish Kumar said the 50 per cent headdress connected reservations successful the state should beryllium removed.

"What the Supreme Court ruled was just enough. We were ever successful enactment of the quota. But it is precocious clip that the bounds of 50 per cent is raised. The headdress is depriving OBCs (Other Backward Classes) and EBCs (Extremely Backward Classes) of opportunities successful proportionality to their population," said Mr Kumar, an OBC person who roseate to the nationalist spotlight during the turmoil implicit the Mandal Commission recommendations for quota for the backward castes.

He called for a caller estimation of the size of assorted societal groups, adding that helium had besides raised the request for a caste census with Prime Minister Narendra Modi past year.

"We were told that states could clasp specified headcounts. We person undertaken that exercise. But this needs to beryllium done connected the nationalist level arsenic well. There indispensable beryllium a rethink connected the contented of caste census," said the Chief Minister.

Mr Kumar's erstwhile state BJP scoffed astatine his comments, alleging that helium is "obviously unhappy" astatine the mediocre precocious castes getting quota.

The request for a removal of the 50 per cent headdress was archetypal made by RJD's Lalu Yadav. Nitish Kumar dumped the BJP and formed a caller authorities with the RJD successful August.

The Congress enactment has backed the Supreme Court decision.

"We invited it. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes should get reservations connected the ground of their population. The backward classes should get reservations according to the Mandal commission. We are successful favour the court's decision," said Bhupesh Baghel, the Chief Minister of Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh.