RJD, SP want Centre to review creamy layer rider

Thu, Apr 17 03:01 AM

Questioning the constitutional validity of the creamy layer concept with reference to the OBC quota, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Samajwadi Party demanded in Parliament on Wednesday that the Centre file a review petition in the Supreme Court.

"The Government should file a review petition or opt for a Joint Parliamentary Committee to look into the matter and bring a central legislation to ensure quota for all OBC students," said senior RJD member Devendra Prasad Yadav during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

"There is no provision in the Constitution for an economic criteria. This is not a quota for jobs or a poverty alleviation programme, but a quota to provide equal opportunity," he added.

Yadav said the SC judgment was "a victory of social justice" as far as OBC reservations are concerned. However, he argued, the SC rider would mean that 52 per cent of the population would not be able to avail the benefits.

"An iron filter gate has been erected to bar OBC students from higher education," he said. The income ceiling, according to him, would render even children of Group D workers ineligible for benefits after the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission report.Echoing his views, SP member Ramji Lal Suman was also critical of the creamy layer provision. He said 85 per cent of the farmers committing suicides would fall into the creamy layer category.

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