Ex-Speaker jibe at Paswan quota call

Gaya: Former Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary has termed LJP leader and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s call for 15 per cent reservation in government jobs for poor upper castes unconstitutional, unjust and in excess of their numerical strength.

Chaudhary has accused Paswan of making the demand at the RSS’ instance to deflect attention from the design to dilute reservation per se to deprive underprivileged sections of their constitutional rights.

According to Chaudhary, who was in Gaya on Wednesday, the Indian Constitution grants reservation to disadvantaged groups on account of discrimination, untouchability and educational backwardness. It was not granted on economic grounds. Nobody from the upper castes has suffered the stigma attached with untouchability and as such, they do not deserve job reservation as per the constitutional scheme of things.

“Would upper caste people do menial jobs like scavenging, carrying the carcass of dead animals, skinning dead animals, washing dirty linen of others, cleaning gutters and other such work exclusively done by victims of social and educational discrimination?” asked Chaudhary. The former Speaker claimed that during a discussion, he had put the same question to BJP leader and former Union health minister CP Thakur, rendering him speechless.

“The total population of the upper castes was less than 15 per cent and the formula forwarded by Paswan was unacceptable for that reason as well,” said Chaudhary.

Presenting an alternative formula, the former Speaker spear-heading the save reservation campaign through his Vanchit Varg Morcha, said: “Let there be a comprehensive caste and community census in the country and each social group be given job reservation in proportion to its population.”

Running down his former leader, chief minister Nitish Kumar, Chaudhary said that by joining hands with the BJP, Nitish Kumar had sealed his own fate. The BJP will put Nitish in a position, where he is left with no option other than going to the parliamentary election alone to make the polls triangular in nature.

“Triangular contest suits the BJP more than a direct contest with the Mahagathbandhan. The design would be to cause division in the anti-BJP votes. There was no place for Nitish in the Mahagathbandhan,” said Chaudhary.

Courtesy: The Telegraph