(By Our Special Correspondent)

New Delhi, March 3: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party leader, Ms. Mayawati, has demanded reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe in the judicial service, the Rajya Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha in addition to quota in the private sector. Making a strong plea for affirmative action in the private sector, she has said her party will take to the streets if the Government failed to act in this matter.

Accusing the BJP-led NDA Government of being opposed to reservation for SC/ST. she told presspersons here this afternoon that privatisation of public sector undertakings was meant to "choke these sections economically". "This is nothing but an attempt to deprive us from getting jobs." Ms. Mayawati, who created a stir in the Lok Sabha on the day of the BALCO debate by charging into the well of the House to press for reservation for SC/STs in the private sector, today reiterated her position.

She criticised the other Opposition parties, mainly the Congress, for not supporting her on the reservation issue and said that their silence indicated that they were opposed to reservation for Dalits. She also called on the Government to inject a greater degree of transparency in the privatisation of PSUs or else the move would boomerang on it.