Gujarat to give 10% quota for upper caste poor in govt jobs: Vijay Rupani

Gujarat government will give 10% reservation to the economically weaker sections in general category of the community, chief minister Vijay Rupani said on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state on Sunday became the first in the country to announce implementation of the 10% quota for economically weaker sections, a day after President Ram Nath Kovind signed the Constitutional (Amendment) Act 2019.

“There will be 10% reservation for economically weaker sections in general category in all higher education admissions and government jobs from January 14,” chief minister Vijay Rupani said in a statement.

The release added that this will also be applicable to jobs announcement for which has been made but procedure is yet to commence.

Rupani added that the 10% reservation will be in addition to the 7% quota for the Scheduled Caste, 15% for Schedule Tribes and 27% for the Other Backward Classes in the state.

In 2016, a year after influential Patidars launched an agitation against the state government demanding OBC status, the BJP government had passed an ordinance for 10 per cent reservation to economically weaker sections in general category. The ordinance was quashed by the Gujarat High Court as



the Constitution then didn’t allow a quota above 50%.

The Centre’s landmark amendment bill was almost on the lines of the Gujarat government ordinance, allowing the BJP to go back to its promise of reservation to the poor among upper castes.

In the wake of Patidar quota agitation, the BJP had suffered heavy losses in subsequent elections, including the 2015 local body polls and 2017 assembly elections.

With the new Act coming into force months before the Lok Sabha elections, it is expected to help the BJP woo back Patidars, who form 12% of over 6 crore Gujaratis. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won all 26 seats in Gujarat.

Gujarat Congress chief Amit Chavda criticised the “hurriedly made announcement”, saying it will create confusion.

“The government has said it will implement the provision from January 14, which is Uttarayan holiday. The chief minister should explain the logic behind this announcement and the process to implement it,” he said.

The BJP government should also explain the status of a stay granted by the Supreme Court on the similar 10% reservation for EWS category in Gujarat that was introduced when Anandiben Patel was chief minister, Chavda added.