The cabinet on Friday differed with a recent Supreme Court judgment for the introduction of a creamy layer in the reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told a media conference that the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to stick to the constitutional provision on reservation for SCs and STs.
"The Supreme Court has given certain suggestions on the reservation for SCs and STs. Today, the cabinet carried out an elaborate discussion on this issue. The well-thought-through decision of the cabinet is that the NDA government is committed to the Constitution of Baba Saheb Ambedkar. According to the Constitution, there is no provision for a creamy layer in reservation for SCs and STs. The cabinet's opinion is to stick to constitutional provision," Vaishnaw said.
The minister did not clarify the next course of action on the matter.
On August 2, the apex court had ruled in favour of creating a sub-category within SC to enable the backward communities get greater opportunities. The decision has attracted criticism from various forums, including scholars, who said giving lesser reservation to the forward communities among the SCs will be a double whammy for people of such castes. They will face fewer opportunities while continuing to face caste discrimination in every walk of life.
The Opposition parties have demanded the abolition of the creamy layer. YSR Congress Party member in the Rajya Sabha, Ryaga Krishnaiah, had on Wednesday said the purpose of reservation is to achieve proportionate representation of SCs, STs and Other Backward Classes in education and jobs. He said the creamy layer was an impediment to achieving this objective.