MVA demands national law for OBC quota

A group of activists protest over the MVA government’s alleged failure in protecting the OBC quota, in Thane, on June 25, 2021. File pic

The Maharashtra government's hopes of immediate relief in the OBC quota may have crashed on Tuesday, with its Madhya Pradesh counterpart being asked by the Supreme Court to notify the local body elections within two weeks, pending political reservation, but the verdict gave the MVA an opportunity to ask for a constitutional amendment to have the quota across the country.

According to the court, the OBC quota could be restored only by collating empirical data. The political quota in local bodies is statutory but not constitutional. The states make laws to decide the quantum. Maharashtra has 27 per cent, but it has been disputed. Several other states also faced a similar problem. Maharashtra and the BJP-ruled MP have been for completing a triple test, including gathering or empirical data, for restoring the quota. The court has asked the Maharashtra election body to resume the election process which is expected to take a couple of months before the polling is held post monsoon.

Constitutional ammendment

Reacting to the development, OBC welfare minister Vijay Wadettiwar wanted to know who was responsible for MP. He demanded a constitutional amendment to facilitate the OBC quota across the country. "In Maharashtra, there are districts, especially tribal-dominated ones where the OBCs will not get any reservation even if we compile empirical data. How will we compensate for the OBCs' loss? The Centre should make a law so that the quota is made available everywhere," he said.

State Congress president Nana Patole said the verdict has exposed opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis, who has been blaming the Congress and the MVA on the issue. "The BJP and its parent organisation RSS are against reservation. When the Mandal Commission had given reservation to OBCs, the BJP had organised a Kamandal Yatra against it. The OBC political reservation is in danger because the Centre has refused to provide empirical data," he said.

BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar asked whether the government didn't want to collate empirical data. "Is it that we don't need the data because the OBC wouldn't get quotas in some districts? The OBCs can benefit in the remaining 28-29 districts," he said, adding that the MVA was deficient in its efforts of getting the opposition on board. "You stall the house when we debate the issue. You don't call us for meetings which should happen frequently. Only one meeting was held."

Get data fast: Petitioner

One of the petitioners, Vikas Gawali, told media persons that the verdict in the MP case was expected on the Maharashtra lines. "Nothing is lost yet. The state government should expedite empirical data collection and submit it to the SC as early as possible. However, the data must be flawless in order to stand the legal scrutiny," he said.

He further said that the government and opposition should stop politicising the issue and come together to get the quota restored. "It needs a sincere effort from the government and cooperation from the opposition."