SC upholds EWS quota: Bihar CM seeks removal of 50% cap on quota, TN govt to discuss next course of action 

• It is high time that the limit of 50 per cent be raised, demands Nitish Kumar
• Tamil Nadu CM said the SC verdict on EWS is a setback to century-long social justice struggle
• If you want the 50 per cent cap to be raised, do the needful in Bihar as per constitutional norms. We will welcome it: BJP

The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota has not gone down well, at least with two states – Bihar and Tamil Nadu – for now. While Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has sought the removal of 50 per cent cap on reservations, the Tamil Nadu government is going to convene legislators’ meet on November 12 to discuss the issue.

It is to be noted that RJD chief and former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav was the first political leader to demand the removal of 50 per cent quota cap.

The Bihar CM said that it is high time that the limit of 50 per cent be raised. Nitish said: “What the Supreme Court ruled was fair enough. We were always in support of the quota. But it is high time that the limit of 50 per cent be raised. The cap is depriving OBCs and EBCs of opportunities in proportion to their population. Nitish Kumar, an OBC leader himself, rose in politics to the “churning brought about by Mandal Commission.” He was sharing his views, with journalists, on the Supreme Court upholding 10 per cent quota for economically weaker sections.

Making a fresh pitch for a country-wide census, Nitish Kumar recalled having taken it up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, according to PTI. “We were told that states could hold such headcounts. We have undertaken that exercise. But this needs to be done on the national level as well. There must be a rethink on the issue of caste census,” said Nitish.

The BJP spokesperson Arvind Kumar Singh, lashed out at the CM and said: “The honorable chief minister is obviously unhappy over poor upper castes getting their due. He is speaking the language of its current ally RJD.”

“If you want the 50 per cent cap to be raised, do the needful in Bihar as per constitutional norms. We will welcome it,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday said that it would convene a meeting of all legislature parties on November 12 to discuss the next course of action. “This quota system is against social justice and equality and contrary to the social justice policy,” a government release said about the EWS reservation.

Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin had on Monday said the SC verdict on EWS is a setback to century-long social justice struggle. Notably, Tamil Nadu has 69 per cent quota in education and jobs and a case is currently pending in the apex court against the reservation system.

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the 103rd amendment to the Constitution, allowing the Centre to introduce a 10% reservation for EWS of General category persons. The top court, however, emphasised that the quota system should not be allowed to go on for an indefinite period and a time-limit be fixed on it to pave the way for a casteless and classless society. The judgment was passed by a 3:2 opinion, with Justices Dinesh Maheshwari, Bela M Trivedi, and JB Pardiwala upholding the amendment, and CJI UU Lalit and Justice S Ravindra Bhat dissenting to call for striking down of the amendment.