Madhya Pradesh resolution: No panchayat polls without OBC reservation

Proposing the resolution in the House, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan pointed out that the government has already filed a review plea on the stay on OBC reservation and has requested for early hearing in the matter too.

“Without reservation for such a big community, going ahead for elections is neither rational nor in the interest of the state. We will try our best and do every possible thing,” said Chouhan, adding that the government is working for the welfare of all communities be it SC, ST, OBC or general population.

According to the 2011 Census, OBCs constitute 50.09 per cent of the state’s population, the government had told the High Court during a hearing related to increasing quota from the existing 14 per cent to 27 per cent in June this year.

Voting for the first phase of panchayat elections in the state was scheduled to be held on January 6 in six districts followed by voting in nine other districts on January 28. Voting in the remaining 36 districts were to be held on February 13.

The resolution in the assembly on Thursday was proposed by Chouhan after three adjournment motions were moved by the opposition Congress demanding clarity on OBC reservation in the panchayat polls.

Chouhan said the the Congress was responsible for the stay order on OBC reservation. “First you went to High Court, then Supreme Court. Reservation was stayed because of you,” he said.

The Supreme Court order had come on December 17 during the hearing of an application filed by Congress leader Manmohan Nagar, who had approached the top court pleading that the BJP government had violated the constitutional provision of rotation reservation and delimitation for the panchayat polls.

Leader of Opposition Kamal Nath said in the House that the Congress demanded a resolution two days ago. The Congress MLAs staged a protest in the assembly and subsequently staged a walkout after Kamal Nath was denied an opportunity to talk on the resolution.