Congress Attacks MP Govt on OBC Quota Issue; BJP Hits Back

A day after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party went into a huddle drawing a strategy on OBC quota issue which the Opposition Congress party has used against it in recent past, Congress leaders held press briefings across the state on OBC quota, inflation and other issues on Friday.

On Thursday, the state government led by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had deliberated upon the issue for chalking out strategy to counter opposition onslaught on the 27% OBC quota issue, for almost three hours.

Among other things, the meet decided that the state government will deploy top lawyers to present the case in favour of OBC quota in the court and will also go among the public to clarify its stand and ‘expose Congress party lies of BJP govt not making efforts to implement the quota’.

A day after, Congress leaders across the state held press briefings and mounted attacks on the Shivraj government on OBC quota, skyrocketing inflation and curtailed assembly session.

The opposition wanted to discuss issues ranging from inflation, OBC quota, flood situation, spurious liquor deaths and so on, but the state government had no answers on any of the subject so they concluded the monsoon session of assembly in three hours, senior leader PC Sharma said in the press meet in Bhopal.

“The BJP has time to run the transfer-posting industry but has no time to run the House,” alleged the leader, adding the state is talking of compensation to covid-19 victims while death certificates aren’t mentioning the virus as the cause of death.

The party did not forget to corner Shivraj government on OBC quota issue and leaders claimed that BJP in 15 years did little to hike OBC quota from 14 to 27% and when the Kamal Nath government had hiked the same, the BJP government made weak efforts in the court and got the matter stayed.

They went on to claim that the Nath government was brought down so it was not able to do justice to the OBCs.

They slammed BJP leader’s claim that reservation has upper limit of 50% saying the limit has already been breached after 10% quota was given to upper classes. “If many states offer 27% OBC quota, why can’t MP do the same,” former assembly speaker NP Prajapati said.

The leader also accused the state government of hiding Covid-19 deaths, saying post the year 2017, MP recorded average 3.5 lakh deaths annually but in year 2020, death toll was 5.18 lakh and in year 2021, its already 3.28 lakh by May.

They also slammed the Shivraj government on issues such as continuing government employees’ strikes, high inflation, mismanagement in recent floods and so on.

The Congress had also cornered ruling BJP in assembly over pending 27% OBC quota issue, accusing it of doing injustice with the backward classes.

BJP state head VD Sharma on Friday in a statement accused Congress party of betraying OBCs traditionally and not offering OBC commission the constitutional status. They only treated backward classes as votebank, said Sharma.

Why didn’t the Kamal Nath government file a caveat on the OBC quota issue, asked the leader, accusing the Congress party of spreading lies.

A few days earlier, the state High Court in an interim order, refused to vacate the stay on 27% OBC quota and posted the matter for hearing for final hearing on September 1.

Political analysts believe that OBC quota could play a role on upcoming local body polls and also in the assembly polls 2023, which is making the ruling BJP anxious.

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