HYDERABAD: Taking a line quite different from other States, the Andhra Pradesh Government has decided that the `creamy layer' concept must not be adopted while implementing reservations for the Backward Classes.

This was announced by Minister for Backward Classes D. Srinivas in the

Assembly on Saturday while replying to a debate on various issues concerning the BCs even as the Telugu Desam and the CPI(M) staged a walkout resenting the `negligent and discriminatory attitude' of the Government towards them.

He said a letter would be sent to the Prime Minister soon pleading for abandoning the concept altogether. He said this at a recent Cabinet meeting in tune with the consensus arrived at an all-party meeting. He explained that the Government had to file a petition in the High Court indicating its commitment to the creamy layer concept. Otherwise, it would have faced contempt of court.

During the debate, the Congress Government came in for criticism for ignoring the interests of the BCs. T. Devender Goud, Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu (both TDP) and M. A. Gafoor (CPI (M)) flayed the Government for cutting budgetary allocations for scholarships and tuitions for BC students and for scrapping several schemes.

Denying the charges, the Minister sought to turn the tables on the TDP saying its Government increased the budget for BCs only during election years -- 1999 and 2004. He said BC welfare was at the heart of the Congress Government and cited the Rs. 34-crore increase in scholarships and tuition fee. As a result, the allocation for these two would be Rs. 146 crores.

He said the Government had no intention to remove any caste from reservation list under GO 23. As of now, there were no backlog vacancies for BCs, he added.

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