The Communist Party of India-Marxist Friday said the continuance of the anti-quota agitation despite United Progressive Alliance's "balanced" approach on the reservation issue "clearly smacks of a blatant upper caste bias" that has been "ably assisted by a section of the media".

Besides bringing in the 93rd amendment to the Constitution to provide for 27 per cent reservation to Other Backward Classes, the UPA and the Left parties had earlier this week decided to "expand facilities in all educational institutions under the central government to ensure that there is no reduction in the seats available under the general category", Politbureau member Sitaram Yechury said in an editorial in coming issue of CPI-M organ People's Democracy.

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"If this (anti-reservation) strike is continuing, then, clearly, its objective is not a protest against the potential decrease in the seats for the general category but its aim seems to be to oppose reservations altogether", he said. After going along with UPA at the Centre on reservation for OBCs in central educational institutions, Yechury asked the government to allay the apprehensions of general category students that their prospects would not be affected by the proposed legislation.

"The fears that such reservations will adversely affect the prospect of general category students must be allayed with the expansion of facilities," he said.