Uma backs Arjun Singh's reservation move

Varanasi, May 4: Bharatiya Janashakti president Uma Bharti today backed Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh's proposed move to provide 27 per cent reservation to Other Backward Castes (OBCs) in central government owned-institutions of higher education.

Interacting with newspersons here the expelled BJP leader said reservation for OBCs was very much desirable, but some amount of reservation on economic basis should be provided to students from upper castes in the institutions of educational excellence.

''Reservation to SC/ST and OBC was needed to correct the injustice meted out to these underprivilaged sections. Reservation may seem to be unnatural means of justice, which cannot be averted,'' Ms Bharti added.

When asked about reservation on communal lines or that for minorities, Ms Bharti said that reservation on the basis of religion was ''impossible''.

''Such a practice is only possible, if the country was made a theocratic state or in other words a Hindu Rashtra,'' Ms Bharti maintained.

The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, changing the track to the unending debate on secularism and communalism, said the issue should be debated on intellectual rather than political lines.

She said she was ready to take an initiative in this regard.

''Let communalism and secularism be a matter of debate for academicians and not an issue for the politicians to profiteer on,'' she added.

Earlier in the day, the former union minister offered the party flag at different temples of the 'city of temples' including Kedareshwar, Kashi Vishwanath, Sankatmochan, Kal Bhairav and Sankatha temples.

She also took dips in the sacred Ganga river at Kedar Ghat.

UNI