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Mayawati Opposes Creamy Layer for SC and ST Reservations, Criticizes RSS

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2 sources · India

Who reported this

  • The Hindu India · Centre-left · Kasturi & Sons (family-owned)
  • The Indian Express India · Centre · Indian Express Group (Goenka family)

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

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Every source for this story reports from India.

Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Sunday opposed the application of the creamy layer concept to reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). In a series of posts on X, Mayawati argued that affirmative action is fundamentally linked to social transformation, economic emancipation, and the self respect of these communities. She stated that discussing a creamy layer is inappropriate and contrary to the objectives of the Constitution authored by Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, noting that caste based hatred and exploitation have not ended.

Mayawati's remarks followed statements by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who claimed that reservation had been deliberately politicized and was creating bitterness in society. Bhagwat suggested that beneficiaries should voluntarily give up the benefits of reservation. Mayawati responded by describing this position as a reflection of a casteist mindset and argued that reservation cannot be judged solely on the basis of economic progress.

Additionally, Mayawati urged the central government to strongly defend the interests of SC and ST communities in court. She criticized governments for a lack of strong legal advocacy regarding social transformation and called on the RSS to stop engaging in politics over reservation to respect the goal of an egalitarian social order.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
The center-left lean outlet emphasized the historical oppression and marginalization of the Bahujan Samaj as the basis for Mayawati's criticism.
Centre
The center lean outlet focused on the constitutional and legal arguments Mayawati used to oppose the creamy layer.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.