Athawale bats for raising reservation limit to 75%
Dalit leader wants 25 per cent reservation to the poor among the upper castes by enhancing the quota limit to 75 per cent
LUCKNOW : Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Friday said those who are demanding a change in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act should change their own behaviour towards Dalits and treat them well, he said. Athawale rooted for 25% reservation to the poor among the upper castes by enhancing the quota limit to 75%.
LUCKNOW: Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale said on Friday those who were demanding a change in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act should change their own behaviour towards the Dalits and treat them well.
“There is no question of invoking the Act against anyone if he has not committed any atrocity against a member of SC or ST communities. We will ensure that the Act is not misused,” Athawale, a prominent Dalit leader, said.
Athawale also rooted for 25 per cent reservation to the poor among the upper castes by enhancing the quota limit to 75 per cent.
“I believe if a bill is passed to ensure 25 per cent reservation for the poor among the upper castes, it will be beneficial to all,” said Athawale, who was in Lucknow to review the vacancies in various government departments and corporations, and removing the backlog.
“I think that all will benefit if the reservation limit is enhanced to 75 per cent from the present 50 per cent.But all political parties will have to come together and help the government in this regard,” he said.
The Republican Party of India (RPI) leader said his party would like to contest on 3/4 seat from Uttar Pradesh in Lok Sabha 2019 in alliance with the BJP. The minister, who had said last time that the BJP would lose 25 to 3 seats if the BSP and the SP forged an alliance in UP, claimed the BJP could prevent the loss of seats if it agreed to give RPI a chance to contest in UP. The minister said he would discuss the matter with BJP president Amit Shah.
Hinting that some important leaders of the BSP were in touch with him and the BJP could win around 300 seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections if it agreed for the tie-up.
Referring to the court order on use of the word “Dalit”, the minister said he would soon file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the order of the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court banning the use of the term dalit in official files and in media. “There is nothing wrong with the word. I do not think it is derogatory. All it connotes is the condition of those deprived of education, social status and justice.”
Athawale said the government could consider the issue of reservation in promotions for other backward castes and Dalits in the winter session of Parliament.
On the amendments in the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by Parliament to overturn a Supreme Court judgment, Athawale said that no changes would be made now.
On “Bharat Bandh” stir on Thursday particularly in the BJP-ruled states, he said it was actually a design of the opposition parties to defame the government.
› There is no question of invoking the Act against anyone if he has not committed any atrocity against a member of SC or ST communities. We will ensure that the Act is not misused
RAMDAS ATHAWALE, minister