Not economic reservation, but savarna reservation: Congress MLA VT Balram

Thiruvananthapuram: VT Balram, Congress MLA in Kerala, has reacted hard on the ten per cent quota set apart from the open merit quota, for economically weaker sections (EWS) of forward castes. In a Facebook post, Balram noted that this is not economic reservation, but reservation for the upper castes.

He added that 10 per cent of seats that should have remained in open quota will henceforth be reserved for candidates from 'savarna' (upper caste) communities. It is for the first time that seats that should have been open to all on merit, are being reserved for communities who have never had to suffer any social discrimination or any serious injustice, but instead were heir to all privileges.

He added that what Pinarayi Vijayan implemented in Devaswom boards of Kerala, was later adopted by Narendra Modi at the national level, and this is nothing but upper caste reservation and never one based on economic status.

The governments are not concerned about the poor from all sections, but only about the poor among forward castes. The Facebook post also said that our 'people-centric' governments always keep talking about the section who had once held all land, property and authority; governments lament only the plight of their succeeding generations who lost their glory only because of their own deeds.

Kerala Public Service Commission has acceptd the proposal to reserve 10 per cent for EWS of the forward communities. In order to implement reservation, however, Kerala service rules will have to be amended and it is for this that PSC has now given approval. When the government also gives its nod to the amendment, the rule will come into effect and ESW will become eligible for the economic reservation for which the annual income ceiling set is Rs Rs 4 lakhs per year .