In Modi's home state, Congress bats for caste-based census; demands 27% reservation for OBCs in local bodies

With an aim to expand its base among Other Backward Communities (OBC), Gujarat Congress while making a strong pitch for a caste based census, demanded that OBCs should be given 27 per cent reservation in local bodies.

These demands were made during a sit-in protest organised under the “Jan Adhikar Samiti”.

Congress legislative party leader Amit Chavda, addressing the protest said that  OBC leaders belonging to the ruling BJP were also invited to join the dharna but none came.

 “The BJP leaders are following the directions of their party high command,” said Chavda.

He said the Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste and OBC communities will organise a Mahapanchayat for their rights and protest “discriminatory policies of the government” if the demands are not met.

“We had invited leaders of the OBC community sitting in the government to come to this dharna but no one joined us. They ignored their community and decided not to participate as per the order of their party. If the community has voted you to power, then you should come forward and support them,” said Chavda.

He also asked the government to publish Justice Jhaveri Commission’s report, and allot 27 per cent reservation to the OBC community in all local self-government institutions.

Set-up by the BJP government, Justice Jhaveri Commission studied nature and implications of backwardness in local bodies to decide on reservation for OBCs in them.

The Congress alleged that the BJP government was delaying the implementation of the Jhaveri Commission report. The party has been alleging that since this report has not been made public, elections to several local bodies have been put on hold in Gujarat.

As per directions of the Supreme Court, seats reserved for OBC candidates in each local body will be decided as per the recommendations of the commission following a detailed study.

Demanding the formation of sub-plan committees to oversee the budget spending on OBCs, Chavda sought the reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in cooperative bodies of the state.