Amid the ongoing Patidar reservation stir, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat on Friday announced 10 per cent reservation for economically backward classes from all non-reserved communities in the state.

The decision was taken at the core-committee meeting held at state party headquarters, Shree Kamalam, under the chairmanship of national BJP chief Amit Shah and in the presence of Chief Minister Anandiben Patel.

The reservation for EBCs will be in addition to the existing 49 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).

The government will come out with an Ordinance regarding the same on May 1, which is also celebrated as Gujarat Day.

Announcing the decision, Vijay Rupani, state party president and cabinet minister said all the non-reserved communities in the state will get the benefit of 10 per cent reservation under the Economically Backward Class (EBC). The income limit for the same has been set at Rs 6 lakh per annum.

The non-reserved communities include Patidars, Brahmins, and Baniyas, among others.

"The decision was taken after consultations with the national Party President Amitbhai Shah. The new reservation will not affect the existing reservation given to the communities such as OBC, backward classes, dalits, tribals," said Rupani after the party meeting.

According to Rupani, the children and youth from poor families of non-reserved castes face difficulty in getting education and government jobs. "The government will issue a notification on May 1. The income limit to qualify for EBC families is to be kept at Rs 6 lakh per annum. If there is any legal issue, the BJP government will fight it out at the highest level up to the Supreme Court to protect the interest of these communities," Rupani said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Anandiben Patel has convened a Cabinet meeting later in the evening on Friday.

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