Mayawati favours quota for poor upper castes

New Delhi: BSP chief Mayawati today favoured separate quota for poor upper castes and reservation benefits to Muslim and Christian Dalits, tribals and OBCs while threatening to hit the streets if the government makes any move to review the existing law for SC/ST and OBCs.

Participating in the debate on 'Commitment to the Constitution' in Rajya Sabha, she also pushed for reservation for Dalits and tribals in promotions in the government and the private sector and inclusion of reservation in 9th Schedule of the Constitution.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a lot in his concluding remarks during the debate on Constitution (in Lok Sabha) on Friday. It would have been better if he had announced some decision to amend the Constitution for reservation to the weaker sections of the society in private sector and reservation for ST/SCs in promotion," she said.

Mayawati said people from SCs/STs and OBCs, who have converted to become Christians, Muslims and Sikhs, should also get the benefits of reservation as per their earlier status of SCs/STs and OBCs as there has not been any marked improvement in their financial status even after conversion.

"It would have been better had the Prime Minister announced separate quota to the poor among the upper castes on the basis on their economic condition by amending the Constitution. But no such announcement was made by the Prime Minister on November 27.

"Not only this, I want to say that even if the government makes any such announcement for its political opportunism on the Constitution Day next year, it is not going to implement it easily," she said reaching out to upper castes.

Assembly elections are due in Uttar Pradesh in 2017.

Referring to the statement of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat about a "review" of the reservation, she threatened to take to streets.

Mayawati also dismissed pro-reservation statements of the BJP as an afterthought in the wake of debacle in Bihar assembly polls.

"I am warning if there is any such attempt from the government, I will take to streets against it and hold a massive agitation against it. I will not allow any such attempt to succeed," Mayawati said, alleging a "conspiracy" behind such remarks.