The Hindu Business Line : AP Govt moves to reconstitute Backward Classes Commission

The reconstituted commission will be asked to identify the `creamy layer' in the Muslim community while examining the aspect of providing reservation to the minority community.

Hyderabad , Sept. 22

THE State Government has decided to reconstitute the Backward Classes Commission that would be asked to submit its report in six months as per the directions of the High Court.

Announcing this at a press conference here on Wednesday, the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, said that the reconstituted commission would adopt a scientific process for identifying the "creamy layer" in the Muslim community while examining the aspect of providing reservation to the minority community.

A Special Bench of the High Courton Tuesday declared that the Government Order providing five per cent reservation to the Muslim community in education and public employment was ultra vires of the Constitution. The court had also given a series of directions to the State Government regarding reconstitution of the Backward Classes Commission and identification of the backward classes and exclusion of creamy layer for the purpose of reservations.

The Chief Minister, however, maintained that the verdict was not a setback to his Government as the High Court had observed that providing reservations to the Muslim community per se was not illegal.

As there were some technical defects, the High Court had quashed the G.O. but it did not question the very concept of reservations for Muslims.

He said that provision of reservations to Muslims was the electoral promise of the ruling Congress party in the State and a G.O. was issued to fulfil this promise. If the High Court had not quashed the G.O., the Government and private colleges in the State would have earmarked a total of 14, 212 seats, including 3,422 engineering seats and 161 medical and dental courses seats, to Muslims this year.

Dr Reddy wondered what the Puthuswamy Commission, constituted for examining aspects of reservations to backward classes and minorities, did during the seven years of its existence.

The committee had not even submitted an interim report, and the previous Telugu Desam Government, which had spent Rs 2.71 crore on its functioning, did not bother to look into what the commission was doing, he added.

More Stories on : Social Welfare | Andhra Pradesh

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page