Lucknow. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Sunday said her party “does not agree” with the Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing sub-classification of Scheduled Castes. “Sub-classification of people from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has been allowed, our party does not agree with it at all,” Mayawati said while addressing a press conference here. In a landmark verdict on Thursday, the Supreme Court said that states have the constitutional right to make sub-classifications within Scheduled Castes to provide reservation to those castes which are socially and educationally more backward.
However, the Supreme Court made it clear that states will have to make sub-classification on the basis of “quantifiable and demonstrable data” of backwardness and representation in government jobs, and not on the basis of “whim” and “political gain”. A seven-member Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, by a 6:1 majority verdict, overruled the 2004 verdict of a five-member bench of the apex court in the case of “EV Chinnaiah vs State of Andhra Pradesh”, which had said that no sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) can be permitted as they are ethnic groups in themselves.
In a separate judgement, Supreme Court judge Justice Pankaj Mithal on Thursday said there is a need to relook at the reservation policy and new methods are required to uplift the people of Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
Mayawati said, “Because the atrocities have been faced by the people of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe as a group and this group is the same, it would not be right to make any kind of sub-classification.” The former Chief Minister said, “We have appealed to the Honorable Supreme Court to reconsider its decision, otherwise if the reservation facility given by the most revered Baba Saheb BR Ambedkar to help crores of Dalits and tribal people stand on their feet in this country is abolished, it will become very difficult.”
Mayawati said, “Those who say that SC-ST (Scheduled Caste-Scheduled Tribe) have become economically strong in every matter, then I think that only 10 or 11 percent people must have become strong, the condition of the rest 90 percent people is very bad.” She said, “With this decision of the Supreme Court, about 90 percent people who need reservation will be left far behind. If they are removed as per this decision, then it will be very bad.”
Mayawati, while targeting the ruling party and Congress, said, “The Centre and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who say that they are the supporters of the SC-ST community, should first advocate for them properly, which they did not do. Congress also adopted a vacillating attitude towards this matter.” She said, “In such a situation, we have to tell the BJP-led government at the Centre that if your intentions are clear, then whatever decision has come, you people should amend the Constitution in Parliament and bring it in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.” Mayawati, while raising questions on the intentions of political parties, said, “We do not accept the decision given by the Supreme Court, because the Parliament also has the right to overturn it. If they do not overturn it, then whether it is Congress, BJP, or other parties, their intentions are not clear in the matter of reservation for SC-ST and OBC.”
In response to a question, the BSP chief said that “even if the Jatavs or other castes similar to them have become economically strong, the whole society has not become so. Do not give advantage to those who have become strong through creamy layer, we are not in favour of it, but the condition of 90 percent of the people is very bad, they should get reservation.” However, Mayawati said that “The economic condition of 10 percent Jatavs or similar castes has improved, but even today casteist people look at them from the old perspective, so all of them are in dire need of reservation right now.”
He said, “The Supreme Court has not yet set any standard, this is a vague judgment. In a way, under its cover, the state governments will make the reservation that SC-ST have been getting till now ineffective. People will not get its benefit.” Mayawati said, “The reservation that SC-ST have got is on the basis of equal educational, social and economic disparity. The social outlook has not changed in the case of these classes, so it is very important for them to get reservation now.”