STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

LUCKNOW, June 28. — In a politically significant move, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Mr Rajnath Singh, today announced setting up a “Committee for Social Justice” to look into the “flaws” in the reservation in government jobs for the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and the backward castes.

The idea was to facilitate reservation for the people belonging to the extremely backward castes and to the extremely Dalits castes who have remained deprived all these years.

“The benefits of reservation have not been well spread and have remained concentrated in some sections of these castes,” the chief minister making the announcement said.

“It is true that people belonging to these sections benefited by this arrangement (reservation) and there has been improvement in ensuring social justice. But, it has to be admitted that certain groups and castes falling in these categories remained deprived from benefits,” Mr Singh said.

It was obvious that he was targeting the Samajwadi Party leader, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, and the Bahujan Samaj Party leader, Ms Mayawati.

Without naming the two leaders, Mr Singh said that these political leaders have always talked about the plight of the backward castes but have not done anything for them and never thought about them. “You all know who they are. I don’t want to name them,” Mr Singh said in reply to a question adding, “these leaders have benefited on this account”.

Mr Singh said there was strong resentment among those who have remained deprived. “It was not politically motivated. It has been done in accordance with my earlier pronouncements,” he maintained.

The committee, co-chaired by the parliamentary affairs minister, Mr Hukum Singh, and the health minister, Mr Rampati Shastri, will have five members. A senior IAS officer, Mr JP Vishwakarma, will be the committee secretary. The committee has been asked to give its report within two months which would be “implemented immediately”.

The five-point terms of reference of the committee are:

n Examination of all arrangements and facilities in schemes formulated for SC/ ST and the backward classes.

n To recommend necessary amendments in accordance with the population of ST and various sections following changes in their numbers after creation of Uttaranchal state.

n The position of SC/ST and backward classes in the state government services against the reserved posts.

n Progressive account of participation of SC/ST and various sections of backward classes in employment.

n To make recommendations in reservation arrangements for the SC/ST and backward classes from the point of view of ensuring social justice.

BSP for 37 % quota to ‘most backward’: The BSP today demanded 37 per cent reservation for “most backward” classes in Uttar Pradesh, saying they should be accorded the quota proportionate to their population, PTI adds from New Delhi.

The BSP vice-president, Ms Mayawati, told reporters here that her party’s agitational campaign to be launched from 20 July would press for, among other things, this demand also.