Deve Gowda urges parliament to reconsider reservation on economic grounds

Former prime minister and JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday called upon Parliament to contemplate whether reservation should continue to be given on the basis of caste or it should be changed to economic criteria.

Participating in a discussion on the "Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India" in Rajya Sabha, Deve Gowda said, "The House itself has to apply its mind on what all happened in the past and whether we should give reservation only on the basis of poverty in this country."  People are suffering "even with the reservations that we have given in the past and it has not lifted the people who are still suffering for two-square meals a day", he said.

The former prime minister said the House should think over whether reservation should be continued to given on the same lines as in the past or "only who are suffering with most poverty" and whose living condition is bad should be given priority.

"If the House thinks over and the leaders think over, this can be thought over by the prime minister (Narendra Modi) before taking any decision on the reservation," Deve Gowda said.

He said the Constitution drafted by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar has withstood the test of time.

Referring to Leader of the House J P Nadda's speech, who spoke before him, Deve Gowda said it was a "thought-provoking speech" on reservation and various other issues the country faced in the past 75 years.