Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Tuesday mooted reservation for the economically weaker upper castes and Muslims and other minorities in government jobs.
Suggesting a Bill to give 18 per cent or more reservation to the poor from the upper castes, Muslims and other minority groups, Mayawati claimed that her party would be the first to support such bill.
Mayawati welcomed the passage of The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2018 in the Lok Sabha and hoped that the Bill will be passed in the Rajya Sabha comfortably.
She attributed the development to the pressure built by her party and the sacrifices of the Dalits who participated in the April 2 ‘Bharat Bandh’. She has been quoted as saying, “the voice of the Dalits and the marginalised along with the BSP cadres forced the government at the Centre to bring in this Bill.”
She, however, took a dig at other leaders of parties in the National Democratic Alliance government for not raising voice on the issue.