All UPA allies to be consulted on reservation: Congress

New Delhi, Nov 13 (UNI) The Congress-led UPA coalition government will consult all the coalition partners before taking any decision on the Supreme Court's order on reservation to SCs and STs and to OBCs in educational institutions, party spokesman Satyavrat Chaturvedi said.

The Congress would have been at liberty to take any decision on the reservation had it come to power on its own strength in the last Lok Sabha elections. However, since it is a coalition government, the party would have to take the coalition partners into confidence, he said.

''We have to consult the coalition partners. As a major partner, we have the responsibility to take others into confidence before taking any decision,'' Mr Chaturvedi said.

He said there was nothing new in what Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay and Administrative Reforms Commission Chairman M Veerappa Moiley had been stating on record on the reservation. In fact that has been the Congress' stand on the reservation.

Asked whether the government will take recourse to constitutional amendments in view of the Supreme Court verdict on reservation, Mr Chaturvedi said there would be open options available too.

On whether the Congress favoured the reservation to Muslims and other minorities, Mr Chaturvedi said, ''The Congress' stand has always been in favour of lifting all those sections of people who are educationally and socially backward.'' Responding to a question, Mr Chaturvedi clarified that Union Minister of State for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal had never stated that Uttar Pradesh was likely to be placed under the President's Rule .

UNI YS HS BS1914