Press Statement
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:
The Central Government through the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has notified the criteria for the 10 per cent reservation benefits for the economically weaker sections in the hitherto non-reserved categories. According to the order this is for benefits of reservation on a preferential basis in civil posts and services in the government of India and admission in educational institutions.
The order states families who have a gross annual income of eight lakh rupees or below are eligible. In addition families who have following assts will be excluded: those who have 5 acres of agricultural land or more, those who have a residential flat of 1000 sq feet or more, those who have a residential plot of 100 sq yards or more in a notified municipality, those who have a plot of 200 sq yards or more in areas other than the notified municipalities will not be eligible for the reservation benefits.
The CPI(M) opposes this criteria. It makes a mockery of the very concept of economically weaker sections. The government is not accepting even a minimum wage of 18,000 rupees and here it is including an income of almost 70,000 rupees a month for the benefit of reservations. This criteria will deprive weaker sections of any benefits which will be cornered by the better off. It is also entirely wrong of the government to use the same criteria it has used for OBC creamy layer category. The criteria for those sections include the most important point that these sections are also socially deprived which does not apply to the general category.
It is typical of this government’s undemocratic approach that it did not put this proposal before parliament when it was discussing the constitutional amendment bill. Instead of waiting for the parliament session already convened on January 31, it has pushed through an executive order in an arbitrary and illegal manner.
The Polit Bureau urges the government that without an appropriate legislation of the parliament, it should not allow the operationalisation of the provision of this executive order.