Quick sample census an option: Congress

New Delhi, Mar 30: Ruling out any confrontation with the Supreme Court, the Congress today said UPA partners would collectively choose an option from several redressal mechanisms available to the Centre to deal with the situation arising from the apex court stay on OBC quota for students.

The options include going for a quick sample census to find out the percentage of OBC population, a Constitutional amendment or bringing in a new statutory scheme, but it is for the government to take a decision in consultation with all its coalition partners and supporting parties, AICC spokesman Abishek Singhvi told reporters.

Disagreeing with the Left parties' criticism of the apex court and rejecting the opposition charge that the government had come out with a half-baked quota law to take political mileage, Mr Singhvi said the present move for OBC quota in educational institutions was based on the same 18-year-old Mandal Commission recommendations which had long been implemented for the purpose of reservation in jobs for such communities.

In fact, a nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had upheld the reservation for OBCs in government jobs based on the 1931 Census, he said.

Further, yesterday's order by a two-judge Division Bench of the apex court had placed only an interim stay till August and had not expressed its final view on the subject, Mr Singhvi maintained.

However, he said admissions under the expanded quota policy stood stayed till August and the students who had already taken exams under the new scheme would have to seek the court's clarification.

Rejecting suggestions that there was a deliberate confrontation by the judiciary, he said it was for the legislature to make laws and for the courts to scrutinise them and dispose of.

Mr Singhvi also would not agree that the government had hidden any fact or details before the court and pointed out that there was a rare political unanimity while making the Constitutional amendment to provide for OBC quota.

UNI

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