Raipur: Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday said the Government has submitted a reply to 10 queries of Governor Anusuiya Uikey on two amendment bills to hike the overall reservation in Chhattisgarh to 76%.
Talking to reporters in Raipur, Mr Baghel said answering those questions was not constitutionally binding for his government, irrespective of all it answered all the queries made by the Governor, who should now give her assent to the bills. She had said she would do it once the State Government submitted replies to her 10 queries.
The State Assembly on Dec 2 passed the Chhattisgarh Public Service (SC, ST and OBC Reservation) Amendment Bill and the Chhattisgarh Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Amendment Bill, pertaining to quota in Government jobs and admission in educational institutions in proportion to the population of different categories in the State.
According to the bills, STs will get a quota of 32%, OBCs 27%, SCs 13%, and 4% has been provisioned for the EWS in Government jobs and admissions in educational institutions. Mr Baghel said, “The reply has been sent to the Governor. There is no such provision in the Constitution, but the Governor had sought details from departments and the answers have been submitted. Now, she should give her assent to the bills.”
After the bill was passed, the governor put it on hold saying the grounds which justifies 76% reservation was not communicated to her.
Second, she wanted restoration of 32% reservation for tribals, but the state government increased the quota of all. She also argued if the government failed to achieve 58% reservation in the state, how it can sustain 76% reservation in the court.
The 10 queries raised by the Governor included details of the quantitative data related to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities if collected, details of the extraordinary situation that compelled the State Government to hike reservation beyond 50% ceiling and report of the Quantifiable Data Commission (constituted by the State Government for a survey of OBC and EWS population in the State).
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Brijmohan Agrawal said the State Government should make public its reply to the Governor on the reservation bills.
