If things go according to plan, the Narendra Modi government will introduce a bill – a Constitution amendment bill – on Tuesday, the last day of the ongoing Parliament session, to provide for 10 per cent reservation in jobs to economically weaker sections among the general category citizens.
The implementation of this vote-catching decision, finalised by the Union Cabinet Monday, will require deft political maneuvering: it requires two-thirds support in both houses of Parliament as well that of one half of the state legislatures.
The move is clearly aimed at bringing back the disgruntled upper caste voters into the BJP fold, but it has the potential to further alienate the marginalised sections, particularly the OBCs. The latter have been demanding reservations in education and jobs. The move also signals that the BJP is now unsure of the support of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The fine-print of how the Modi government intends to clear the hurdles in making the weaker sections among the upper castes happy is still unclear but the move raises several questions.
In an exclusive interview with ThePrint, Dalit leader and Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani talks about the Modi government's reservation move and how it is lollipop offer to appease the voters and a tactic to deviate them from real issues.
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