BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government has intensified its efforts to provide 27% reservation to OBCs in government jobs. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday held discussions with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta in Delhi on the ongoing court proceedings. It was a courtesy meeting, said an official communique.
Chouhan is also believed to have met senior lawyer M Natraj, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad and a panel of other top lawyers to discuss the reservation issue, said sources. State Advocate General Purushendra Kaurav had accompanied the CM.
Earlier on Monday afternoon, the MP government filed an interim application in high court to remove all stay orders regarding 27% reservation to OBCs. The next hearing is on September 1. The government seeks a final hearing on this date and is likely to submit an application for this. The CM is learnt to have discussed with Mehta aspects related to the court case.
On August 12, the state government had convened a meeting under CM Chouhan after Congress raised the issue of OBC reservation in the monsoon session of assembly. According to sources, it was decided to request Prasad, a former law minister, and Mehta to represent the state government in high court. It was in March 2019 that the then Kamal Nath-led Congress government had increased OBC reservation from 14% to 27% in government jobs and exams.
Nath had raised quota issue in Assembly
It exceeded the Supreme Court reservation cap of 50%. If the OBC quota were to be implemented, the total reservation would rise to 73% in MP – including 10% for economically weaker sections, 20% for Scheduled Tribes and 16% for Scheduled Castes. The high court stayed the decision in March itself. In July, it ordered a continuation of its interim stay to release the list of candidates selected through various exams with 14% OBC reservation, and keeping 13% seats vacant till the final order is issued.
Recently, Nath, who is now Leader of Opposition, raised the issue in assembly and blamed the BJP government. Chouhan retorted that the Nath government had not submitted its reply in court in time, which resulted in the stay. A few days ago, BJP OBC Morcha president Bharat Singh Kushwaha said that the state government is contemplating moving Supreme Court against the high court stay on 27% quota for OBCs.
