On Quota For Dalit Sub-Categories, Chirag Paswan's Reservations

Union minister Chirag Paswan made it clear today that he was opposed to "reservation within reservation" as his ally BJP is implementing in Haryana. In its first meeting this week, the cabinet of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has decided to divide the quota for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and give a chunk of it to sub-groups that have lesser representation in employment and education.

"The Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas Paswan) has made it clear that we do not support this. I think we should be talking of communities, not castes," Chirag Paswan told reporters today.

"Especially when you talk of Scheduled castes, the basis of which was untouchability, some customs even today perpetuate it... Under such circumstances if such sub-classifications are made, somewhere or the other, it would create problems and perpetuate such divisions," Mr Paswan added.

Currently, there is a 15 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes and 7.5 per cent for Scheduled Tribes.

In 2004, a five-judge Constitution bench had barred preferential treatment to sub-castes within the communities, maintaining that Scheduled Castes and Tribes form homogeneous groups.

But on August 1, a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court allowed sub-classification within reserved category groups for affirmative action.

The Haryana government said it would now be able to allocate specific quotas within the 22.5 per cent reservation to sub-groups within SCs and STs that have lesser representation in employment and education.

In August, ahead of the assembly election, the Haryana Scheduled Castes commission had recommended subclassifying the Dalit communities into two categories - deprived scheduled castes and other scheduled castes. The move had helped the BJP get a chunk of SC vote, increasing its score in the seats dominated by the community from five to 17.

It was a huge help for the BJP, which went on to win a record third consecutive term in Haryana.