Backward community bodies urge PM to withdraw inclusion of salary in OBC creamy layer calculation

Chennai: The recent move of Government of India  to include salary in OBC creamy layer income calculation raises serious concern among OBC community forums, said Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam (DMK) president M.K Stalin.   In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he urged the Centre to reverse its decision to include salary in the Other Backward Castes (OBC) creamy layer calculation.

Stalin requested the Prime Minister to reject the BP Sharma Committee report on the concept of creamy layer.  “The expert committee, in the name of streamlining and simplifying the concept of creamy layer, has recommended restrictions of OBCs with regard to availing of the reservation benefits,” wrote Stalin.

“Such a change of policy would drastically reduce the number of eligible SEBC (Socially and Educationally Backward Communities) candidates, dramatically increase “de-reservation” and leave many reserved SEBC appointments and posts unfilled” said VR Joshi, former director of Backward Community Development Dept, Govt. of  Kerala in an open letter written to PM Narendra Modi.

The 1992 Indira Sahwney judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India introduced the exclusion of the so-called “creamy layer” from SEBC reservations with a view to ensuring that reserved appointments and posts go only to the weaker sections amongst SEBCs.

“Unfortunately, however, what we have seen from 28 years of experience is that rather than ensuring that reserved appointments and posts go to weaker sections, the creamy layer exclusion has been covertly converted into a tool for “de-reservation” -eligible candidates are excluded as “creamy layer”, leaving the SEBC quota unfilled” pointed out  Joshi.

“We therefore call on the Government to cease and desist from making change to the creamy layer criteria,”  Joshi demanded .

Joshi, who is the state coordinator of National Forum for Enforcement of Social Justice,  calls to establish a high-level committee to develop a new policy on creamy layer that will guarantee that the creamy layer mechanism will not be misused as a basis for de-reservation.

He demanded to ensure that reservation of appointments and posts for SEBCs should first go to the most excluded sections of SEBC communities.