Amidst the uproar on the OBC reservation in local bodies in Maharashtra, Minister of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Chhagan Bhujbal moved a government resolution in the state assembly and council proposing the Centre to provide empirical data on OBC. The resolution was passed by voice vote.
It was passed by voice vote when the opposition was demanding discussion and shouting slogans. The house was later adjourned for 10 minutes by the presiding officer Bhaskar Jadhav followed by the ruckus in the house.
Earlier, Maharashtra Mininster Nitin Raut has also informed that the government, in today's Assembly session, will propose that Centre should make empirical data it collected for OBC reservation.
"The data has not been given to States yet and until we get it and submit it to SC, we can't get OBC reservation," Raut was quoted as saying by ANI.
Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis on Monday had termed as "misleading" the resolution to be moved by the state government in the Legislature asking the Centre to furnish population data of OBCs based on the 2011 census, so that political reservations for members of the OBCs in local bodies can stay.
The Supreme Court earlier this year quashed quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in local bodies after observing that the total number of seats earmarked for various communities, including the SCs sand STs, should not exceed 50 per cent of its total strength.
Talking to reporters ahead of the commencement of the Maharashtra's Legislature's monsoon session, Fadnavis said the SC had asked for an empirical inquiry (into the issue of OBCs population) through the State Backward Class Commission.
"The apex court has not asked for census data. The resolution is time pass, face saver and misleading, and will not yield anything. But, we will support the resolution as we want to stand by the OBCs," the BJP leader said.
The resolution, to be moved in both Houses of the Maharashtra Legislature, says the State Backward Class Commission has been set up and it requires social, economic and caste-based census data of 2011, to prepare an empirical data of the OBC population.
This data is required for restoring reservations to the OBCs in local bodies elections.
(With inputs from agencies)
