Nagpur: Shortly after the Supreme Court allowed Madhya Pradesh Government to reserve OBC seats in local body polls within the 50% ceiling, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis launched a blistering attack on the Maha Vikas Aaghadi (MVA) Government in State for its total failure on the issue.
Giving full marks to Madhya Pradesh Government for securing reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC), Fadnavis called State Government as incompetent as the latter failed to do so. He was talking to media persons in Nagpur. He further demanded that the ministers in the MVA Government responsible for getting the OBC quota should resign.
“The Supreme Court, on December 12, 2019, had asked the Maharashtra Government to complete the ‘triple test’ necessary for establishing that OBCs should be given a quota in Local Government Bodies. But the Government kept pointing fingers at the Central Government over a lack of necessary data for one year. There is absolutely no connection of Centre in this issue and their ministers had misled the citizens,” said Fadnavis.
Fadnavis pointed out, “Madhya Pradesh Government has prepared empirical data and submitted the complete report in the Supreme Court. The Apex Court also asked them to prepare a Local Self Government constituency-wise report. They submitted that report also and finally they succeeded in bringing reservation for OBCs. I must congratulate the Madhya Pradesh Government.”
“We have been repeatedly telling the MVA Government to prepare empirical data since the beginning. But the MVA Government ignored it. A Backward Class Commission was formed after a year to prepare a report, but it was not given adequate funds and staff. Obviously, SC rejected its report. Contrary to what the Maharashtra Government did, Madhya Pradesh immediately constituted a Backward Commission,” Fadnavis said.
Hailing the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government’s efforts, Fadnavis said when SC had rejected Maharashtra Government’s case for failure to conduct the triple test, it had also dismissed the MP’s case for the same reason. “Their government, however, constituted a dedicated commission, collected district wise empirical data with the help of local bodies and submitted a comprehensive report. When last week, the court asked them to submit the local body wise data, they were ready with it. Today, their submissions were accepted, and they were allowed to reserve the OBC seats in the polls.”
Terming the three-party government as “anti-OBC”, the Opposition Leader said their ministers never intended to grant reservation under someone’s “pressure”. “They only indulged in making false narratives for all these years. No one, including the CM, paid attention to SC’s directives on the triple test. When we pointed out to them about formalities to be completed, they laughed at us. Now, their ministers should tender resignations on the moral grounds of their failure to do justice with the OBC community. If they had listened to us, the SC would have allowed us to restore the OBC reservation,” Fadnavis stated.
