By Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar on the 4th of September : The state government has established the Samarpit Commission headed by Retd Chief Justice K S Jhaveri to investigate the problem of insufficient representation of the OBCs in local bodies.It is likely to present its findings to the state government shortly to determine the amount of OBC reservations in local bodies.
Will it be 10 percent or 27 percent or something in between?
Even before the recommendations of the commission and the state’s choice to adopt the recommendations the race to claim credit for the OBC reservation has already begun between the two major parties that are the BJP as well as the Congress.
The BJP and the Congress both acknowledged that the Other Backward Classes (OBC) population in the state is at 52 percent.
There are 146 sub-castes that fall under the OBC category.The Congress is requesting at least 27 percent reservation for OBCs in the local bodies, panchayats, and Nagarpalikas.
The BJP has suggested that, taking into account the populationof the region, the commission could recommend an the appropriate reservation.The party also advised that the Commission of the Supreme Court observation that reservations for SC/ST/OBC should not exceed 50%.
Mudslinging between different political parties has started.The BJP’s spokesperson Bharat Dangar has claimed that the Congress did not care about reservation and upliftment of any backward group and reminded that the Congress regime was not implementing the Kalelkar Commission report.The Mandal Commission report too was removed.
In contrast, the Jan Sangh-backed late Babubhai Patel government accepted the Bakshi Commission’s recommendations in 1977.
Contrary to the BJP’s assertion, GPCC former president Amit Chavda claims that had the state established an OBC commission in time as per Supreme Court order this situation wouldn’t have occurred.The State Election Commission would not have been able to revoke the reservation of 10 percent in local body.
From July to date Chavda has been a speaker at a number of OBC community gatherings to increase awareness.
The Congress is requesting the reservation of a community as well as the representation of them in local bodies, and all parties will profit from it, claimed Bharatsinh Solanki, who was a former union minister and the president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee.
The BJP has directed all district committees of the party to submit a memo to the district collectors asking for OBC reservations in the local body.
Only the results of the assembly elections will give a clearer picture of which party gained from this controversy.
–har/bg
