Ranchi, Aug 4 (PTI) Union minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi on Sunday welcomed the Supreme Court's landmark decision allowing states to create sub-classification of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Manjhi also said his party will be contesting the assembly elections in Jharkhand scheduled later this year.
"We welcome and support the Supreme Court verdict. It is good," the Union MSME minister told reporters here, after attending the HAM (S) executive committee meeting.
Asked about Union minister Chirag Paswan opposing the apex court verdict, he said it is his choice, and any person aggrieved by any judgment has the right to go to court.
The Supreme Court had on Thursday in a verdict said states were empowered to make sub-classification of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for granting quotas inside the reserved category to uplift more underprivileged castes.
Manjhi said the Scheduled Caste literacy rate in the country was barely 30 to 32 per cent as compared to the general category's 80 per cent.
"If you analyse the Scheduled Caste literacy percentage, four castes in it have 30 to 40 per cent literacy rate, while 22 castes have a literacy rate ranging from 3 per cent to 15 per cent. Even B R Ambedkar had emphasised a review of the reservations every 10 years, but no such exercise has taken place so far," he said.
Paswan had on Saturday his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), will go for an appeal, requesting the top court to review its judgement allowing sub-groups within the 15 per SC quota.
“The creamy layer cannot be allowed in the SC quota. Allowing sub-groups within the SC quota will not serve the purpose of uplifting the socially marginalised segment that has been a victim of the practice of untouchability,” he had said.
On the party's national executive meeting, Manjhi said discussions were held on how to strengthen organisation, and six-seven resolutions were also passed.
He said the big issue that HAM (S) has been raising is that there are two castes – the rich and the poor – and unless the poor are empowered, development will not happen.
Manjhi also said people from poor sections migrate in search for jobs, and in the recent Lok Sabha polls, they “were not able to return to vote due to which HAM was impacted in every constituency”.
"We will urge the Centre and the state governments that registration of workers should be done, and during elections, arrangements should be made for bringing them back," the former Bihar chief minister said.
The Union minister added that his party will contest the assembly polls in Jharkhand, scheduled later this year.