No review of quota policy: FM

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New Delhi: Finance Minister P Chidambaram has admitted that the Government is yet to establish the basis for the proposal to reserve 27 per cent seats in higher educational institutes for Other Backward Classes but says the reservation policy won’t be changed.

The Supreme Court on May 29 gave the Government eight weeks to explain the proposal.

The Government is still working on an answer, and Chidambaram says no review should be expected.

"There is no ground to review whether there should be reservations or not. If a review means questioning the justification of reservations, I say no," Chidambaram said CNN-IBN’s Karan Thapar in Devil's Advocate.

"As I understand the Government's reply there is no ground to review whether there should be reservations or not. There is no ground at all"

Chidambaram said he did not know what Union Minister Oscar Fernandes meant in his written response to students that their demand for a non-political commission to review the reservations policy would be "examined":

"I don't know. You must ask Mr Fernandes. I've not seen that document," he said.

"The Government's position is the position that will be taken in the Cabinet. If Mr Fernandes has said it will be examined, (and) I'm sure he means every word, then it will be examined. (then) it will come to the Cabinet for a decision. I cannot now say what the decision will be."

Asked what reply the Government would give to the Supreme Court regarding the basis on which it proposed to reserve 27 per cent seats, he said: "The ministry has to put together all the material available to it to reach the conclusion of 27 per cent. The material will be put together. Wait for the material."