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Allies divided over Supreme Court ruling on Scheduled Caste sub-categorisation leave BJP in a tough spot
The LJP (Ram Vilas) opposes the verdict and plans to file a review petition; the TDP, which created sub-quotas in Andhra Pradesh in 1997, has welcomed it; northern voters likely to push back, says an NDA leader
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) logo . File
| Photo Credit: AFP
Two key allies in the ruling coalition — the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Telugu Desam Party — have taken opposing positions on the Supreme Court judgement in favour of sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes, leaving the BJP in a tight spot.
LJP (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan has announced that his party will file a review petition against the judgement. On the other hand, TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, an early champion of sub-categorisation, has wholeheartedly welcomed the verdict.
SC verdict on SC/ST reservation: What are the political implications?
On Thursday, a seven-judge Constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, in a majority judgement, held that States have the right to sub-classify Scheduled Castes notified in the Presidential List, with the objective of providing less advanced communities within the grouping with preferential treatment in public employment and education.
‘Pushback from northern voters’
The BJP is yet to come up with a clear response to the judgement. In order for sub-categorisation to take place, the government would also need to conduct a caste census, which the Opposition has been demanding, and the BJP has been resisting.
“The BJP cannot outrightly reject or accept the judgement, since in the south, it stands to gain from it, and in the north, it expects a pushback not only from allies but from the voters too. The Opposition’s campaign that the BJP government willend reservation had its largest impact in the northern States. The BJP will have to tread carefully on the subject,” a top NDA leader said.
The Congress has not taken a definitive stance on the verdict either, though Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy both welcomed it. Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati, however, spoke against the judgement on Sunday, and also criticised the BJP-led Union government for not properly advocating for the Dalit cause.
‘No creamy layer for Dalits’
Mr. Paswan insisted that “creamy-layer” criteria cannot be applied to Dalits for reservation purposes. “Reservation as an affirmative action was included in the Constitution because the Dalits for centuries have suffered social exclusion in the form of untouchability. Creamy layers are determined by their educational and financial position. But no matter how well educated or affluent, their position in social structures has not really changed,” the LJP (Ram Vilas) chief said, giving instances of Dalit youth not being allowed to ride horses in wedding processions and temples being “purified” after the visits of well-known Dalit leaders.
Mr. Paswan clarified that the decision to seek a review petition has been taken solely by his party, without any consultation with the BJP.
Poll promises
On the other hand, the TDP welcomed the verdict. In Andhra Pradesh, the more “advanced” Mala caste, whose members have cornered most of the benefits of the SC quota, largely supports the Congress. During Mr. Naidu’s second term as Chief Minister, the TDP sought to reach out to the Madiga community, who had felt left out from reservation benefits, by creating four categories within the SCs in 1997.
“We welcome the Supreme Court verdict on SC classification issue. Chandra Babu Garu implemented social justice 30 years ago,” Mr. Naidu’s son and Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh said in a post on X, adding that that TDP is committed to the sub-categorisation promise that was part of its election campaign.
The BJP itself has been advocating for such sub-quotas in Telangana, where it won eight seats out of 17 in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, at par with the Congress. Ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls in the State, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the constitution of a committee to look into the Madiga community’s long-standing demand for a sub-quota. Manda Krishna Madiga, the leader of the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi, had also thrown his lot in with the BJP.
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