Lucknow: After demanding reservation for
minorities and upper caste poor, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Mayawati on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking
him to include Jat community in OBC category.
"The CM in her letter has requested him to include
Jats in Other Backward Class category," an official spokesman
said here.
"The Jat community's main occupation is agriculture and
its related work but due to deteriorating agricultural land
conditions, their economic condition is not good. They are
also backward in the field of education. Keeping this in mind,
the state government on March 10, 2000 included Jats in OBC
category," the letter said.
Stating that Centre had included Jats of Rajasthan in OBC
category, Mayawati said the community in Uttar Pradesh should
be given the same status.
Interestingly, Mayawati had yesterday written a letter to
PM demanding introduction of quota for the poor among upper
castes on financial grounds.
The chief minister had written a similar letter to the PM
on September 17 asking for constitutional amendment to provide
quota to minorities, especially Muslims.
Opposition parties including BJP, Congress and Samajwadi
Party have criticised the BSP government and termed the move
as a political one to gain political advantage for the next
year's Assembly polls.
PTI
First Published: Monday, September 19, 2011, 18:16