Nitish repeats need for sub-quotas for EBCs

Reservations have beenin place, both in the state and at the Centre, for quite long.Of course, there have been new provisions, like 10 per centquota for the economically backward who may not be among OBCsand SCST, replied Kumar at the JDU state headquarterswhere he had gone to interact with the party workers.If any studies are being conducted to bring about anychanges in the existing reservation system, I have never heardof any proposals to deprive any section of the facility, headded.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar onWednesday reiterated the need for a separate sub-quota for theextremely backward classes in reservation for OBCs at thecentral level.

The JD(U) leader pointed out that in Bihar, the provisionhad been in force since the times of Karpoori Thakur, hisideological guru who headed the short-lived Janata Partygovernment formed after the Emergency.

''In Bihar pichhda (backward classes) and ati pichhda(extremely backward) were acknowledged as distinct categoriesduring Karpoori Thakurs time. This has continued.

''At the central level, all backward classes are treatedas a single block. I think there should be separatedemarcation there too'', he told reporters.

Thakur had introduced reservations for the backwardclasses by implementing recommendations of the MungerilalCommission, which was strongly opposed by the upper castesnotwithstanding a three per cent quota for the economicallyweak among them.

Kumar, who owes his rise in politics to the Mandal erachurning, was asked about ''an ongoing debate'' to restrictreservation benefits and exclude from its purview those whohave already availed of the facility.

''I am not aware of any such debate. Reservations have beenin place, both in the state and at the Centre, for quite long.

Of course, there have been new provisions, like 10 per centquota for the economically backward who may not be among OBCsand SC/ST'', replied Kumar at the JD(U) state headquarterswhere he had gone to interact with the party workers.

''If any studies are being conducted to bring about anychanges in the existing reservation system, I have never heardof any proposals to deprive any section of the facility'', headded.