Paswan supports OBC quota

New Delhi, May 25 (UNI) Lok Janshakti Party chief and Union Minister for Steel, Chemicals and Fertilizer, Ram Vilas Paswan, today said he fully supported the 27 per cent reservation announced for OBCs in higher education.

Mr Paswan told reporters here that it was an obligation of whichever government was in power at the Centre to implement the reservation policy for the backward classes.

In reponse to a question, Mr Paswan said there was no similarity between implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations in 1990 and the current decision on OBC reservation. The first was quota in government jobs, while this time it was for seats in educational institutions.

Also, the Mandal recommendations were implemented by an executive order, but this time the policy was being legalised through Parliament by way of a constitutional amendment, he added.

The UPA Left coordination meeting had on Tuesday decided to implement the 93rd Constitutional Amendment enabling 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in higher educational institutions and bring a bill in this regard in the coming monsoon session of Parliament.

Mr Paswan said there was no logic in continuing the agitation against anti-reservation policy as the government had already assured that number of seats in the institutions will be correspondingly increased.

''Why are you opposing reservation if the weaker sections gets a benefit?'' he asked anti-reservation protestors.

UNI BKS LR PC1530