Key Points

Both the leaders further accused the BJP of spending Rs 100 crore on legal efforts to block the reservation, while publicly claiming support for it. Patwari and Singhar both demanded a white paper on the delay and Rs 100 crore spent on legal opposition. With an all-party meeting scheduled for August 28, Congress called it a diversion, urging immediate enforcement and a Supreme Court affidavit affirming the reservation.

The issue remains under judicial scrutiny.

Patwari declared that the BJP had “openly wronged” the OBC population for six consecutive years, alleging that despite the Congress-led government’s lawful enactment of 27 per cent reservation under Kamal Nath’s leadership in 2019, the BJP halted appointments through administrative orders in 2021 and 2022.

“Only 87 per cent of sanctioned posts were filled,” the state Congress chief said, “while 13 per cent were arbitrarily withheld, affecting over one lakh aspirants. Many lost livelihoods, and tragically, some even their lives.” Patwari alleged that thousands of qualified candidates were denied jobs, questioning departmental orders that bypassed the quota.

“If Shivraj Singh and Mohan Yadav truly stood for reservation, what prevented them from enforcing the 2019 law?” Patwari asked, noting that the Supreme Court has now formally questioned the government’s actions. “The BJP and RSS are fundamentally opposed to granting rightful representation to the OBC community,” he alleged further.

“It was Congress that ensured the reservation, and it is Congress that will ensure its full implementation.” Reacting to the Chief Minister’s call for an all-party meeting on August 28, Patwari dismissed it as symbolic posturing. “No written communication has been received. If it arrives, Congress will attend. But the party’s stance is clear—27 per cent reservation must be upheld. Otherwise, what is good about it or the purpose of this meeting? This meeting is nothing but a ploy to mislead the public.”

Echoing the sentiment, Umang Singhar condemned the BJP’s “double-faced policy,” accusing it of offering “only hollow promises, slogans and deception” to the OBC community. He cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dismissal of the caste census as “Urban Naxal” as emblematic of the party’s mindset. Singhar called the proposed all-party meeting a “sham,” arguing that if the government’s intent were genuine, it could issue an executive order immediately.

He referenced repeated Supreme Court queries—on July 4 and June 29—demanding explanations for the stalled appointments and non-implementation of the quota. Drawing comparisons with other states, Singhar noted that Tamil Nadu offers 50 per cent reservation to OBCs, Kerala 40 per cent, Karnataka 32 per cent, Andhra Pradesh 29 per cent, and Telangana has proposed 42 per cent. “Yet in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is actively stripping the OBC community of its rights,” he said. “There is a chasm between the BJP’s words and its deeds,” Singhar said, alleging, “Just as votes were stolen, now employment is being stolen. The Congress demands immediate enforcement of the 27 per cent reservation.”

The previous Kamal Nath-led Congress government in 2019 had approved a 27 per cent reservation for OBCs, and the decision was challenged in the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The matter later reached the Supreme Court for further judicial scrutiny.

- IANS