Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said backward class organisations had no reason to go on the warpath against the government over the issue of extending 10% reservation in government jobs to economically disadvantaged persons from socially and educationally privileged forward communities.
Mr. Vijayan said the organisations should realise that the 50% reservation for historically deprived Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and Backward Class communities remained intact.
The 10% reservation extended to financially disadvantaged persons from the forward communities did not infringe on the Constitutionally mandated 50% job quota for backward class and SC/ST communities.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Kerala Pulayar Maha Sabha (KPMS) and the SNDP Yogam had opposed the move vehemently. They had accused the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of betraying the interests of historically marginalised communities. Leaders of the organisations are scheduled to meet on October 28 in Kochi to chart out their future course of action.
A marker of backwardness
Mr. Vijayan said the organisations had no ground for any grouse. Article 579 of the LDF manifesto promised social justice for all. He said all political parties had recognised poverty as a marker of backwardness.
The Lok Sabha had passed the Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill, 2019, with an overwhelming majority to succour the poor among forward castes without diminishing the existing quota for SC/ST and backward class communities. Forward caste candidates from families that have an annual income of less than ₹4 lakh will be eligible for this reservation. The quota would not apply to job aspirants from families that possess more than 2 acres of land in grama panchayats; more than 75 cents in municipalities or more than 50 cents in Corporation limits.
The State government had implemented the 10% reservation in Devasom Boards.
LDF convener A. Vijayaraghavan had also cautioned the IUML and others against agitating over a “non-issue.”
