Reservation requirement of the day: Ramesh

MoS for Commerce Jairam Ramesh dismissed as "bogus" the contention that quota would mean sacrifice of merit.

Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh on Sunday dismissed as "bogus" the contention that reservation of seats in elite educational institutes would mean sacrifice of merit and said reservation for backward classes was the constitutional requirement of the day.

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He told reporters here that the argument that reservation would sacrifice merit was totally 'bogus' as proved in the case of Tamil Nadu.

Ramesh, a Congress leader, said although Tamil Nadu had 69 per cent reservation, the state had excelled well in all spheres.

He said the government cannot go back on its commitment and the issue would have to be resolved through negotiation and dialogue. The obvious thing to do was to increase the number of seats in medicine and engineering.