Patna | Former Bihar Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha national president, Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday demanded that the report of the caste census be made public and reservation for all categories be increased in proportion to their population. He also demanded that the cap on reservation ceiling be increased to 90-95 percent.
Replying a query on Parliament approving the 10 percent reservation to general category poor, Manjhi said that “I am not opposed to the decision of giving quota (10 percent). I am saying that communities (OBC, EBC, SC and ST) be given their share in reservation as their rights.”
“They have been deprived of their rights in the name of cap being imposed that reservation can’t be increased beyond 50 percent…OBC which constitutes 54 percent of population is being given 27 percent reservation while Scheduled Caste is being given 15 percent quota benefit against their 30 percent population,” he said.
Parliament on Wednesday had approved amending the Constitution to provide 10 percent reservation to general category poor in jobs and education. The quota will be over and above the existing 50 percent reservation to SCs, STs and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
“When you (Centre) have raised the quota limit from 50 percent to 60 percent), then you (Centre) should have raised it to 90-95 per cent in order to give every community their due as per their population…What is the problem in making the report of caste census public. They should make it public,” Manjhi said.
Asked to comment that Congress has not been included in SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha election, he said that if they (SP-BSP) neglect Congress in UP, then they may have to “face loss as BJP may be able to gain of it.”
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