LUCKNOW: After demanding

reservation

for Muslims, poor among upper castes and Jats in Centre's list for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), UP chief minister Mayawati has played the reservation card again.

In an official statement issued on Monday, she has asked for a fixed

quota

for Muslims and Jats within OBC quota as per their population. She has also asked for inclusion of 24 most backward classes (MBCs) in scheduled castes (SC) with quota within quota for SCs. She also wants inclusion of Muslims and Christian dalits in SC category. And, to accommodate more classes, she has asked for increase in the SC quota. Her list of demand also includes application of reservation in judiciary, private sector and other sectors where it has not been implemented. She also wants that the vacancies under reserved category should be filled at the earliest.

The statement released by the BSP said that chief minister is of the view that financially, socially and educationally communities and people should be given facility of reservation to help them develop and join the national mainstream. For this, she had, already suggested Congress led UPA government in her letter to the prime minister to amend the Constitution. While promising her support for constitutional amendment to increase reservation facility, she has also suggested that the reservation policy should be put in the ninth schedule of the constitution, so that it cannot be challenged in any court of law. Without caring for the all round criticism for taking course of caste and communal politics before 2012 assembly elections, Mayawati said that she thinks that reservation in government jobs, educational institutions and private sector is need of the hour.

The MBCs which BSP has demanded to be included in the SC list are Kahar, Kashyap, Kewat, Mallah, Nishad, Bind, Kumharm Prajapati, Dhimar, Bhar, Batham, Rajbhar, Dhivar, Turha, Majhi, Machhua, Lonia, Nonia, Lonia-Chauhan, Pal, Baghel and Dhankar. These communities are 2-5% of the population are crucial in elections. The BSP statement also said that the chief minister is also of the view that the reservation to weaker and marginalised sections of the society is a matter of national importance. ""In her letters to prime minister Manmohan SIngh, she has said that it is the responsibility of the government to provide educational facility and employment opportunity to depressed classes in all castes and faiths to bring them at par with others and bridge the gap of have and have-nots.