PM mum on quota at meeting with NKC

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh maintained a studied silence on the controversial issue of OBC quotas, even as the National Knowledge Commission members met him for about an hour today and presented their majority view — it was a 6-2 vote against the quotas.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh maintained a studied silence on the controversial issue of OBC quotas, even as the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) members met him for about an hour today and presented their majority view — it was a 6-2 vote against the quotas.

NKC chairman Sam Pitroda told The Indian Express, ‘‘The Prime Minister was silent, even as we presented our views on the quotas. He just listened and didn’t offer any views.’’ Two members, who disagreed with the majority view within the Commission and favoured the quotas, also voiced their opinion. Jayati Ghosh, professor of Economics in JNU, was one of them.

NKC vice-chairman and founder-member of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (Hyderabad) P M Bhargava said, ‘‘I also presented my supportive views on the quota proposal, which is subject to fulfilment of certain conditions.’’

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So even as the reservation cauldron plays out and the PM’s intervention has come — in the form of a PMO missive to the HRD Ministry for a detailed note on the proposed Bill on OBC quotas — Singh refrained from sharing his views with the NKC.

Besides quotas, the NKC also presented its recommendations on e-governance while Pitroda made a presentation on the Commission’s work over the past eight months.

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