Maitri Karar, caste census: MP Geniben raises pitch on women, OBC issues

Yet again seeking an amendment to the Registration of Marriages Act, 2009 — an issue she had raised earlier in the Vidhan Sabha — Thakor said that signatures of parents should be made mandatory, along with the village head, in love marriages and such marriages should be registered in the villages of the women.

The OBC leader was on Sunday felicitated at a mega event by the Samast Uttar Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Samaj in Patan, the district bordering Banaskantha from where she was elected as an MP earlier this year. Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) chief Shaktisinh Gohil was present at the event among other party leaders.

Referring to the murder of a six-year-old in Dahod, Geniben reiterated her demand — which she had earlier raised in the Gujarat Assembly — that the government should ensure that separate girls’ schools should be set up with an all-women staff. While talking about the school principal accused of killing the girl when she resisted a sexual assault attempt, the Congress leader said, “For such mentally deranged people, constitute committees at taluka and district level with a psychologist, retired judge, female police officer and an advocate.” Hitting out at the ruling BJP, she said that the government “continues to sleep in such cases but when an incident happens in West Bengal they take out rallies.”

Echoing the demand raised by other Congress leaders, including Anklav MLA Amit Chavda, Geniben said that the state budget allocation should be made as per the population of a particular community. Talking about the letter she recently wrote to the PM, seeking 20% of the 27% OBC quota for extremely backward communities among OBCs, Thakor said, “Many are seemingly not happy with this. But take the example of Patidar, Chaudhary or Rajput community — people in these communities are prosperous, they have erected hostels and high schools for children of their community where they are being educated. The 146 OBC communities pay GST to the state government, the community with higher population pays higher GST and thus we demand a population proportionate budget allocation for OBCs.”

Gujarat in-charge Mukul Wasnik too reiterated the similar demand of caste census, saying, “146 communities were added in OBC category but 27 per cent quota did not increase. On behalf of the Congress, I declare that if Congress comes to power in Delhi, the cap of 50% reservation will be removed through a Bill in the Parliament.”

Hitting out at BJP for postponing the local elections, Geniben said that the BJP government, which talks about “one nation, one election” cannot hold local elections in Gujarat.

The Congress MP returned a cheque of Rs 11 lakh offered to her by leaders of community to construction of girls hostel and school. “I do not need money and if there is money, the government pressurises with raids of ED,” she added, targeting the ruling party.