JD(S) backs bill for 10 per cent quota for poor in general category

JD(S) supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda extended support Tuesday to the Centre's move towards providing a 10-per cent quota in government jobs and education for the "economically weaker" sections.

"Janata Dal (Secular) supports the 10 per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutions for economically weaker sections of the upper castes," he said in a tweet.

"We have always stood for, and will continue to stand for betterment of the underprivileged and weaker sections of the society," the veteran leader added.

The JD(S) has two Lok Sabha members from Karnataka, including Deve Gowda.

In a major move ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Union Cabinet on Monday cleared a 10 per cent quota in government jobs and education for "economically weaker" sections, meeting a key demand of the upper castes, a staunch support base of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has shown signs of a drift from the saffron party.

The Congress has dubbed the move as an "election gimmick". The JD(S) is in power in Karnataka in an alliance with the Congress.

The proposed reservation will be over and above the existing 50 per cent reservation enjoyed by the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, and will take the total reservation to 60 per cent.

The Narendra Modi government tabled a bill in this regard in Parliament on Tuesday, which for the first time aimed to provide for non-caste, non-religion-based reservation.