Cong not sincere about Reservation: Mayawati

Madurai, May 01 (UNI) Blaming the Congress-led UPA Government of prevaricating on the reservation issue, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP supremo Mayawati today alleged that the Centre was not sincere to extend the quota for OBCs in Central Universities and institutions of higher education.

The Congress itself was a divided house and the Government was speaking in different voices on the issue raising doubts over its commitment in this regard, she told a group of newspersons at the airport on her arrival here for electioneering in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu.

''On the one hand Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh makes an announcement and on the other another Minister, Kapil Sibal, comes out with a different set of arguments,'' she said questioning the real intentions of the ruling coalition. This only proved that the Government itself was not clear about extending quota, she observed.

Responding to a question, the BSP leader accused the Centre of neither being serious nor genuine in implementing reservation.

In her view not only the Congress, the BJP too was not genuine in their stand on the issue. Moreover, no party is committed to provide reservation to the Dalits, she regretted.

Her grouse was that no political party, was interested in implementing reservation for the Dalits.

Replying to a question, she said nowhere in the country Dalits have attained political empowerment and Tamil Nadu could not be an exception to this. ''As such, I am here to bring Dalits into a common platform,'' she said, explaining the reason for her current election tour.

Alleging that Dalits in Tamil Nadu lacked economic security, she said there was no assured minimum earning for them in the rural areas. It was still the prevailing situation, it was pointed out.

Dalit consolidation, she said was a prerequisite for making their voices heard in the political process. Stating that this was the objective of the BSP, Ms Mayawati said with this aim the party was engaged in uniting all Dalit forces in Tamil Nadu.

UNI CR PR ND2245