The creamy layer issue has proved be a contentious one, with even the Left parties creating a furore on it at one point of time.
Government is confident that its passage will be smooth
The quota debate is likely to hot up once again this week with the controversial OBC Reservation Bill coming up in the Parliament on Thursday. The Bill was introduced during the last session of Parliament and, subsequently, sent to the Standing Committee. Significantly, the government did not accept Standing Committee’s recommendation to provide reservation to the non-creamy layer at first.
The creamy layer issue has proved be a contentious one, with even the Left parties creating a furore on it at one point of time. However, such voices proved to be just a ripple and faded away. The Standing Committee had said that the quota benefits can be extended to the creamy layer only if the seats remain unfilled by those from non-creamy layer.
“The Standing Committee had some special views, but the Cabinet has decided to stick to the original bill. There is no concept of creamy layer in the OBC quota Bill,” union Parliamentary Affairs minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said, after the Cabinet meeting last Thursday.
The Central Education Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Bill, 2006, as it is officially known, had generated a lot of heat this summer with medical students holding demonstrations to protest against the move, forcing the government to work out a compromise that seats in the general category will remain unaffected. The Oversight Committee headed by Congress leader Veerappa Moily prepared a roadmap for quota implementation. The cost of quotas were calculated to be over Rs 9,000 crores and it was to be implemented in phases.
Voices of dissent were also heard from the Opposition BJP initially, but later they were seen harping on only the issue of including minority institutions in the quota ambit. With the Bill coming up for open debate in Lok Sabha now, it would be interesting to see what stand they take. Keeping in view the ensuing Assembly polls in Punjab, UP, Manipur and Uttaranchal, all political parties would tread cautiously. As for the government, it is confident that the Bill will pass without roadblocks.
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