BJP favours quota without compromising on merit

New Delhi, May 30: The National Executive of the BJP today approved a resolution favouring 27 per cent reservation for backward classes in higher education but without compromising on merit and excellence to make India a knowledge based economy.

The resolution passed after deliberations which obviously is not very different from line taken by BJP President Rajnath Singh who wanted reservation for the most backward section of the people among OBCs and economically backward sections among the castes not figuring in the OBC list.

The party has taken a view that the way the Government has handled the reservation issue divided the society on caste and communal lines and the intention was not to ensure social justice but to take advantage in the elections to five state Assemblies.

The party has taken exception to the winding up of two Commissions appointed by the NDA government to study and report on reservations for Most Backward Classes and Economically Backward Sections after the UPA came to power two years ago.

Among those who deliberated on the issue included Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who spoke on the reservation issue.

The resolution discussed, in langth, the failures of the UPA Government on various fronts.

In a step that concerned the farmers, the BJP Chief Ministers decided to take cognisance of orders of Monopoly and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission finding the US based multinational seed giant Monsonto guilty of overcharging for its BT Cotton seeds. The BJP ruled states will issue orders and asking the seed company to fix the prices of BT Cotton as per the MRTPC, a senior leader said.

Among those who attended today's executive included Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa who could not make it to the meeting yesterday because of All Party Meeting on Cauvery at Bangalore. Accompanied by Water Resources Minister K S Eswarappa and state BJP Chief Sadananda Shetty and General Secretary (Organisation) Dr Vamana Acharya, the leaders held informal discussions with Central BJP leaders like Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, M Venkaiah Naidu and BJP General Secretary Sanjay Joshi on the sidelines of the Executive.

The two - day Executive will conclude with the speeches of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Leader of Opposition L K Advani.

UNI

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