Quota row: Nitish wants creamy layer to stay

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said a national debate on the issue was going on.

Disfavouring the exclusion of the creamy layer among OBCs from the 27 per cent quotas in elite educational institutions, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said a national debate on the issue was going on.

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"In my opinion the creamy layer should not be the criterion for excluding OBC students and preventing them from enjoying the benefit of 27 per cent reservation in educational institutions," Kumar told reporters.

Anyway, a national debate on the issue was already on, he said.

The question before the country was how talent should be allowed to ripen and grow immaterial of caste, he said.

The chief minister referred to a survey published in the Hindustan Times conducted in some southern states where OBC students have done very well.