Congress dubs BJP 'anti-OBC' for not implementing 27% reservation in MP

Time of India

4 hours ago

The Congress on Saturday accused the BJP of being "anti-OBC" and demanded that the ruling party leaders apologise to people for failing to implement 27 per cent reservation for the community in Madhya Pradesh.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress general secretary Bhupesh Baghel said the real face and character of the BJP has now been "exposed".
"It has been proved once again that by putting an OBC face in front, the BJP only betrays the interest of the community," the former Chhattisgarh chief minister said, lamenting the non-implementation of 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in both Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Baghel along with AICC in-charge for Madhya Pradesh Harish Chaudhary asserted that the the Supreme Court had made it clear that there were no judicial restrictions on implementing the quota.
"RSS-BJP tried their best to ensure that the reservation is not implemented and spread confusion by calling this matter sub-judice," Chaudhary alleged.
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In 1994, Baghel rcealled, 14 per cent reservation was given to backward classes, and in 2003 during Digvijay Singh's tenure, it was made 27 per cent reservation.
But the three BJP chief ministers from the OBC community -- Uma Bharti, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Mohan Yadav -- unfortunately did not implement this reservation, Baghel said.
"When the Supreme Court has given a clear order that there is no restriction on it, when it was passed in the assembly and the governor signed it, then what is the problem in implementing it," he asked.
Baghel said in Chhattisgarh, on December 2, 2022, the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly unanimously decided to give 27 per cent reservation to the backward classes, but it is yet to be accorded the governor's sanction.
"Today it is 2025, but it is still being studied. The governor misuses his powers. The Supreme Court has also reprimanded him in this matter," he claimed.
"This is the real face of BJP. The BJP is anti-backwards and against farmers. It does not even believe in the Constitution. A living example of this is that the BJP is not implementing the bills passed in the assembly, on which court decisions have also come. This is a very unfortunate situation," the former chief minister of Chhattisgarh and Congress general secretary said.
Chaudhary said that in 1994, the then Congress government in Madhya Pradesh had decided to give 14 per cent reservation to the backward classes. After that, the Congress government increased this to 27 per cent in 2003.
"But that decision was stayed and it was said that it would be implemented after the elections. Then the BJP government came to power and it was not implemented by the BJP," he said.
"The Supreme Court decided to implement 27 per cent reservation on January 28, 2025, and dismissed the PIL filed against it. Even after this, the Madhya Pradesh government did not implement 27 per cent reservation," Chaudhary said.
On June 25, he noted, the Supreme Court again said that if "there is no problem with 27 per cent reservation, why is it not being implemented - but even after this comment the government did not take any action".
"The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh is depriving the backward class people of their rights," he alleged.
MP Congress president Jitu Patwari said OBCs constitute 50 per cent of the population in Madhya Pradesh.
"The BJP is basically against OBC, reservations and the Constitution. They do not like social, economic and political equality," he claimed.
The Congress state chief demanded that 27 per cent reservation should be implemented immediately and students "who have been harassed for six years should be given appointments immediately".
"Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Mohan Yadav should publicly apologise to the people of the state for not implementing the 27 per cent reservation in the state," Patwari said.
AICC OBC department chairman Anil Jaihind alleged that "Sangh (RSS) believes in inequality and disparity on the basis of birth while the Congress Party always believes in equality".
"RSS does not believe in this Constitution and that is why their leaders keep talking about changing the Constitution," Jaihind said.