Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): State Congress president Kamal Nath said on Wednesday that he would seek a legal opinion on how to ensure enhanced reservation to OBC in the local body polls. He stated this in reaction to Supreme Court judgment, which allowed OBC reservation in the polls on a petition filed by the state government. He, however, welcomed the judgment.
But the Congress leader and petitioner in Supreme Court Syed Zafar, on whose petition the Supreme Court had dropped the OBC reservation from the election process, didnít drop any hint about seeking a legal opinion. Rather, he welcomed the judgment and termed it as Congress's victory.
He said that the ruling party wanted elections without OBC reservation. However, he added that it was Congressís stand on the issue that forced state government to submit data on OBC in the Supreme Court.
Kamal Nath said his party had been demanding that local body elections should not be held without the OBC reservation and the government should take all necessary steps in this regard.
"We welcome Supreme Court's decision of granting relief on the issue of OBC reservation. But the full benefit of raising the OBC reservation from 14 per cent to 27 per cent, given by the Congress government, will not reach OBC community as the SC decision capped the limit to 50 per cent," he pointed out.
The Congress leader also said his party does not have any hope from BJP-led state government as far as the OBC community getting the "full (27 per cent) benefit" of the reservation is concerned.
"Therefore, we have already decided that the party will give 27 per cent of the total tickets to OBC. It is our resolve and we will fulfill it under any circumstances. We will continue to fight for providing 27 per cent reservation to OBC community," Nath added.
