Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on the first day of the winter session of Vidhan Sabha, announced the implementation of sub-classification of reservation within the Scheduled Castes (SC) government jobs from Wednesday.
The chief minister told the Assembly on Wednesday, "The assembly session is going on. I thought it necessary to inform the House about the notification...our cabinet had already given approval. Now, the decision (after the notification) will become effective from today."
This division of the SC reservation has been taken following the recommendation of the Haryana State Commission for SCs which suggested making a sub-division of Deprived Scheduled Castes (DSC) and Other Scheduled Castes (OSC).
There are a total of 36 castes under the DSC category, who will get 50 per cent of the reservation. Dhanaks, Balmikis, Mazhabi Sikhs, and Khatiks belong to the DSC category. Meanwhile, Chamar, Jatia Chamar, Rehgar, Raigar, Ramdasi, Ravidasi, Jatav, Mochi, and Ramdasia castes belong to OSC.
Initially, the Haryana Cabinet gave a green signal to the recommendations on August 17 this year. Last month, the state cabinet approved the recommendations of the Haryana Scheduled Castes Commission's report following the Supreme Court's decision that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the Scheduled Castes for granting reservation.
On August 1, the top court held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the Scheduled Castes, which form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation for the upliftment of castes that are socially and educationally more backward.
Verbal exchange in the Assembly on the issue:
During the discussion in the assembly on the governor's address on the opening day of the winter session, the House witnessed verbal exchanges between Congress member Geeta Bhukkal and Minister Krishen Kumar Bedi on the sub-classifications issue.
Bhukkal told the treasury benches that "the backlog is not being filled, roster system is not being implemented, scholarships, stipends are not being given...it would have been better if the government had filled the backlog, given better employment. What they have done is "divide and rule".
In reply to this, Minister Bedi told Bhukkal that the Congress in Haryana may not have elected their legislature party leader, but dared her to get a statement issued by any of her national leaders stating that the Congress party opposes the sub-classification.
As Bedi said this, there were verbal exchanges between him and Bhukkal.
Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, while intervening, said Bedi should speak responsibly, saying, "Question is not what you say, but what you must not say".
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