OBC issue: Lalu refutes Ramadoss' allegations

New Delhi, Aug 10: Railway Minister and RJD President Lalu Prasad today expressed surprise over PMK leader S. Ramadoss' statement, accusing him ''of having lost his way'' on the issue of reservation for OBCs in educational institutions, saying he favoured its eary implementation.

''I don't need a certificate from anyone on the issue but I am in favour of its early implementaion by evolving a consensus among all the constituents of the UPA,'' he told reporters here.

Mr Prasad said he was ''extremely pained'' over the statement of the PMK leader appearing in a section of the media that had described him as ''having lost his way'' on the reservation issue.

''I am also surprised that Mr Ramadoss had lauded Janata Dal (U) President Sharad Yadav, whose party is a supporter of the BJP that is known for its anti-reservation stance.'' Asserting that his party -- Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) -- led the struggle for reservation benefits for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Mr Prasad said it was because of this he was slapped with the baseless allegation of dividing the country on caste lines.

''I am not afraid of disgrace. I have always championed the cause of reservations and will continue to do so even in future,'' he asserted.

In this connection, he underlined the urgency to evolve a consensus among the UPA cosntituents so that all the differences are ironed out and its early implementation is facilitated.

The RJD chief said he had, in fact, advised Prof. Ramadoss during a meeting with him to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi to discuss the issue.

''I never expected such a statement from Prof. Ramadoss. I hold him in high esteem, but I am extremely pained over the misunderstanding his statement has created,'' he said.

Mr Prasad said there was no question of his party backtracking on the reservation issue. ''There should not be any delay in implementing reservations in the Centrally-owned educational institutions. In fact, it should be implemented from the next academic session.'' He said Prof. Ramadoss had some problem in his Tamil Nadu state on the issue, but he would support him.

''I am not opposed to the upper castes but I want that the backward clases should not be deprived of the reservation benefits as envisaged in the Constitution,'' he added.

UNI

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