Congress promises quota for UP's most backward classes

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday announced that if voted to power in Uttar Pradesh, it will implement reservation for the most backward classes from the existing 27 per cent quota for other backward castes (OBCs). Addressing a press conference, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that leaders of the most backward communities met party Vice President Rahul Gandhi during his recent tour of the state and told him that only a few groups or sub-castes get all the benefits of the 27 per cent OBC quota. Further, Azad said a delegation of 100-200 people called on Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and told him that the most backward communities are being ignored and that a quota should be created for them out of the 27 per cent reservation fixed for OBCs. After meeting the delegation Gandhi decided to include it in the party's manifesto for the upcoming election and will implement it if the party comes to power, he informed. Azad also said that earlier Congress governments in Karnataka, Haryana, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have already enacted laws for reservation within reservation. As many as 10 states already have such provisions, he added.