TDP roots for sub-categorisation of caste by states, says aviation minister

EVEN as the Centre maintains a stony silence on the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing states to go ahead with subclassification among Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), the NDA ally Telugu Desam party (TDP) has strongly rooted for the verdict.

- PREETHA NAIR

Speaking at the Delhi Dialogues organised by this newspaper, TDP leader and Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu hailed the verdict. "Our CM has welcomed the judgment. The reason is that he introduced the classification when he was the CM back in the day," said Naidu, adding, "A process was followed and he set up a committee for the purpose." In a majority ruling, the apex court, on August 1, allowed state governments to sub-classify SC/STs to advance the cause of affirmative action.

The court also suggested that states devise a policy to identify and exclude the creamy layer from the SC/ST categories.