Rajasthan gets 68% quota

JAIPUR: Rajasthan has become the first state to implement reservation on the basis of economic status. In a dramatic turn of events, Rajasthan governor Shailendra Kumar Singh finally approved the Bill, which provides five per cent reservation to Gurjars and three other communities, besides 14 per cent reservation to the Economically Backward Classes (EBCs). This reservation is over and above 49% quota, which has been shared by OBC (21%), ST (12%) and SC (16%) in the state. Now the overall quota in government jobs and educational institutions in the state now stands at 68%, which could lead to litigation as it crosses the reservation ceiling of 50% ruled by the Supreme Court. Legal expert Abhinav Sharma, however, claimed: ���in the Supreme Court judgement on Indira Sawhney case, a nine-judge bench said that in special cases reservation can go beyond 50%.���

For effective implementation, the Act should be made a part of IX schedule so that any legal hurdle can be avoided. However, Supreme Court, in its latest ruling has said that articles in IX schedule too can be legally reviewed.

The Bill had been pending with the Governor since last year after the previous BJP government had passed the reservation Bill to contain the Gurjar agitation. ���The Bill took a little time for the approval as we had to seek advice from constitution and legal experts before putting the final stamp,��� Rajasthan governor Shailendra Kumar Singh.

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said that the bill after the approval from the Government has become an Act. ���We will implement the Act as soon as possible. This will be for the first time in the state that reservation would be granted through an Act. The existing quota of 49% is executed through administrative orders only. The 14% reservation for EBC (Economically Backward Classes) would cater to poor among all the castes,
religions and categories,��� he said.

He said Congress was never opposed to reservation for Gurjars and also for the economically backward classes (EBCs). "In 2003, the government led by me had requested the NDA government at the Centre to make constitutional changes for quota on economic status basis, so we had at no point of time opposed the Bill," he said.

Gurjars in the state have been demanding Scheduled Tribe status for the past two years. They had staged violent protests, which had which had claimed over 70 lives. The previous BJP government led by Ms Vasundhara Raje, last year, had passed a Bill granting them 5% reservation under Most Backward Classes (MBC) to contain the agitation. But the Bill was since then pending with the Governor. On July 24, Gurjars revived their agitation by organising a mahapadav (grand siege) at Hindaun town in Karauli district, demanding the Governor's immediate signature on the Bill. ���I am grateful to the government, chief minister Ashok Gehlot. I am especially thankful to Vasundhara Raje as it was she who conceived the Bill," he added.