LUCKNOW, NOV 14: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today demanded 54 per cent reservation in government jobs for backward classes instead of the existing 27 per cent.Addressing a press conference here Mulayam Yadav said the decision to demand more reservation was taken at a meeting of the party's legislature group, district and city unit chiefs and senior leaders.He said the party will hold a backward classes conference at Lucknow on November 19 at which it will decide its strategy for creating awareness among the people belonging to the backward classes.``This decision had to be taken as both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party were out to degrade the backward classes,'' he said. The main slogan of the conference will be ``Mandal bachao, arakshan barhao'' (save mandal by increasing reservation), he said.In reply to a question, he said he was not against giving reservation to other castes. The constitution should be amended to increasereservation for backward classes to 54 per cent as the Supreme Court had banned reservation beyond 50 per cent, he added.Reacting to the resignation of Kalyan Singh as Chief Minister, Yadav said Kalyan Singh was humiliated out of office as he belonged to a backward caste.He said his relationship with Kalyan Singh was still bitter and it was during his chief ministership that SP workers were harassed the most, but he condemns the way he was ``removed.''
