Bengaluru: After the Supreme Court mandated separate reservation for Backward Classes, Rural Development Minister K. S. Eshwarappa voiced concerns about holding Zilla and Taluk panchayat polls before the next Assembly election. Following this, the opposition Congress has stated that the government should take the case seriously and hold local body polls with the present OBC reservation.
According to sources, Congress leader H. C. Mahadevappa said the State should convince the court that there are already reports from the Backward Classes Commission and the government’s caste census on the reservation issue. He accused the BJP government for the problem, claiming that the elections were not held as announced by the State Election Committee. He claimed that the BJP is not dedicated to decentralisation of power and that the election was postponed on the pretext of forming a Cabinet sub-committee to look into the reservation issue.
The court said in its interim order that the election might be held with all seats considered as general. Mahadevappa was concerned that this would negate the goal of reservation, as most backward communities with smaller populations would be unable to compete in the general category.
“How can these communities face polls without reservation that has been assured by the Constitution through the 73rd amendment when the benefits of the Mandal Commission have yet to be experienced by these communities?” he questioned.
According to sources, Mahadevappa also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who comes from a backward community, should look into the issue and correct the injustice, or the country’s OBCs will not forgive him.
