PMSF disappointed with SC stay on OBC Quota

New Delhi, Mar 29 (UNI) The pro-reservation Progressive Medicos and Scientists' Forum (PMSF) today expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court stay on OBC quota, saying it will embolden the ''rabid upper caste chauvinist forces''.

It said the order would serve the purpose of throwing a spanner in implementation of reservation for all the reserved categories, rather than just the OBCs.

''The highest court of the land, by virtue of this order, has unfortunately confused the whole basis of reservation policy, thereby emboldening the rabid upper caste chauvinist forces,'' PMSF spokesperson Vikas Bajpai said.

He said the Court had only taken the view that the census relied upon for fixing the percentage of reservation for OBCs is was 75 years-old and hence invalid.

''It has not mentioned the basis on which it has ostensibly presumed that there has been a reduction in the percentage share of OBCs in the country's population, let alone the percentage being less than 27 per cent in any case,'' he added.

Dr Bajpai said the successive governments and the present UPA government in particular, owned allegiance to 'reservation policy' only in words rather than in deeds.

''As is reflected by the non-fulfillment of reservation quotas in government jobs of any category.... For the various parties sitting in Parliament, the rhetorical allegories supporting reservation for the oppressed castes are only meant to harness them as vote banks,'' he said.

UNI