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New Delhi, May 29 (UNI) The BJP today said it supported reservation for backward classes but criticised the UPA government for the manner in which reservation was being implemented ''just for vote bank politics and in a socially divisive manner.'' Briefing newspersons about the proceedings of the BJP executive, Party spokesman Ravi Shanker Prasad said the BJP supported affirmative action for socially and educationally backward, but it should happen without compromising excellence and merit in today's knowledge driven society.

''We support reservation in principle, but the BJP dissociates itself from the manner in which it is being done '' Mr Prasad said.

He said the BJP opposed reservation being used for dividing society and provoking people. Human Resorce Development Minister Arjun Singh unilaterally announced it without any discussion on the issue of its implementation. ''We are opposed to the Manmohan Singh and Arjun Singh's oneupmanship on the issue,'' he said.

Asserting that the BJP was not anti-OBC, Mr Prasad said that the party had in 1985 itself proposed affirmative action for backward classes for socially backward people and had also supported the Constitution 93rd Amendment which is an enabling provision.

However, the manner in which Arjun Singh announced its implementation without any detailed discussion, it created division, he pointed out and stressed the need for a detailed strategy on the issue by bringing a bill. He called for a detailed discussion on a wide scale before the implementation of the controversial amendement.

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