BJP snubs Munde, says no to quota within quota

NEW DELHI: A day after the BJP’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gopinath Munde, endorsed the demand for a sub-quota for OBCs within the wider women’s quota, party president Nitin Gadkari took pains to dispel misgivings about his party’s stance on the legislation, and asserted that it would support the bill in its existing form.

“No, he (Mr Munde) is not demanding sub-quota in women’s reservation. He is talking simply about OBC reservation,’’ Mr Gadkari told newspersons in Puducherry on Monday while fielding queries about the bombshell dropped by his party colleague.

“Our party has in principle agreed to support the bill in the same form in the Lok Sabha as it was passed in the Rajya Sabha during the pre-recess period. That is the policy of the party,’’ he insisted.
When asked about Mr Munde’s reported comments on sub-quota for OBCs in the Women’s Bill, the BJP chief replied: ``No. He is talking about OBC reservation. I have talked to him.’’

The former Maharashtra deputy chief minister had on Saturday gone public with his demand for a quota-within-quota so as to accommodate the interests of the OBCs, giving a fillip to the campaign being waged by the “social justice” parties such as the Samajwadi Party, RJD and sections of JD(U). Their effort had gathered momentum after the Trinamool Congress, BSP and the Shiv Sena too jumped on to the bandwagon.

The Yadav satraps —Mulayam Singh, Sharad and Lalu Prasad — have been in the forefront of stalling the bill’s passage in its present form, maintaining that it was inimical to the interests of the OBCs, SC/STs and the Muslims, and demanded sub-quotas for them.

BJP too has since then been rocked with convulsions, with a section of the party questioning the leadership’s plans to come to the Congress’ aid in getting the bill passed. Its decision to back the government’s move to seek the help of the marshals to evict members opposed to the bill during the voting in the Rajya Sabha too drew fire, forcing it state that it’d veto any such plans in the other House.

Giving credence to the unease within the party over the bill, Mr Munde had on Sunday told a gathering of OBC leaders of Maharashtra that he would press his party to consider demand for quota for OBC women in state assemblies and the Lok Sabha.