It's not defeat: quota guru Arjun

New Delhi: Union Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh on Thursday find no “basis” to accept that the Supreme Court’s order on the OBC reservation was a “setback” and reiterated the Government will take constitutional and legal steps to ensure that the law is valid.

"I am convinced that the Supreme Court will also get convinced that the law is valid," Singh told PTI after the apex Court ordered staying of the law providing 27 per cent reservation to OBCs in elite educational institutions on Thursday.

He said he would try to do what was constitutionally and legally correct and also maintain the social necessity that the law has tried to address.

Asked whether it was a setback, he said, "If you want to coin it that way, you are free to do it."

Singh said he did not see any basis to say it (the apex Court order) is a setback.

Singh maintained that the entire Parliament of this country has decided to take the decision on the OBC quota, saying that it is not an individual’s decision.

"Principle of reservation has been passed by Parliament and the Constitution amendment has already been carried out unanimously. Parliament will stick to it. There are legal objections. We will try to meet them," he said.

To a question, Singh agreed that the apex court order would affect the admission process this academic year and said "all those things, we will have to see".

"The Government will strictly go by the Constitutional provisons. I am hopeful the Supreme Court will give go ahead.

All legal actions will be explored," he said.

About the legal options, he retorted "I cannot spell them under duress. There are many legal options".

On opposition terming the reservation as vote bank politics, Singh said the opposition could say anything.

"Every member of opposition voted for it. I ask them to come out openly and let them say," he challenged. To a question on many of the IITs and IIMs already started the process of admission," he said the government would have to address the issue.

On the caste-based census, he said the Supreme Court itself has passed an order on the basis of the 1931 census in the Mandal judgement.