Give Proportional Quota: SP MP's Bill to come up in RS

At a time the ruling BJP is seeking to steal the thunder in an election year with a 10% quota for poor among the upper castes, the Samajwadi Party (SP) is upping the ante on the demand for proportional reservation for Other Backward Castes with one of its MPs all set to move a private member's bill in Rajya Sabha.

SP MP Javed Ali Khan's bill to amend the Constitution to include reservation for OBCs is listed for introduction next Friday and it comes close on the heels of SP leader in Rajya Sabha Ramgopal Yadav demanding that OBCs be given 54% reservation during the discussion last month on the 10% quota for economically poor sections.

Khan's The Constitution Amendment Bill, 2019 seeks to amend the clause 4 of the Article 16 to ensure that nothing could prevent the government from making provisions for quota to OBCs "in proportion to their population".

According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, OBCs have "not secured representation proportionate to their population" in government jobs though "periodic measures" were taken by previous governments.

"The representation of the citizens from socially and educationally backward classes in government jobs, as provided by the Constitution is only 27% while their population is more than this. The proposed Bill would enable adequate reservation for OBCs in appointments or posts and make the system of appointments more equitable and thereby increase the representation of OBCs in proportion to their population in government jobs," it said.

During the debate while supporting the Bill, Yadav had argued that with the government breaching the 50% limit set for any reservation by the Supreme Court, it should now provide OBCs 54% quota. BSP MP Satish Chandra Mishra also made

In an interview DH last month, sociologist Satish Deshpande had said people will start to raise such demands with the government passing the Quota Bill.

Though parties like SP did not oppose the government move to provide quota for economically poor sections, they fear that it could lead to dilution of caste-based reservation in the future.

Also with increasing demands from more castes to include them in the OBC list, existing ones fear that the quota pie will reduce and they will lose out opportunities to the newer ones who are more well-off.