NEW DELHI: the Rajasthan government's decision to reject subquotas within the reservation for backward classes has come as a shot in the arm for the opponents of a similar exclusive reservation for most backward classes decided upon by the Rajnath Singh government in Uttar Pradesh.

The Rajasthan government rejected the proposals of the OBC Commission for dividing 21 per cent reservation for backward classes into three categories saying "the classification has no scientific or logical basis and no survey based on economic, educational and social status of the classified castes was done by the commission".

Rajnath Singh, seeking to lead the BJP-led coalition in the assembly polls scheduled for early 2002, sought to play the card of quota within quota for the most backward castes.

The move was seen by observers as aimed at striking at the support base of the Samajwadi Party by utilising the contradictions within the backward classes.

BSP has lent support to the idea and since then Mulayam Singh Yadav too has been asking better-off sections among the OBCs to make sacrifices for the less fortunate ones, but the move has been strongly opposed by some members of the Rajnath ministry itself belonging to backward classes, particularly Om Prakash Singh and Ashok Yadav.( PTI )