Chhattisgarh Guv under BJP pressure, claims minister after delay in nod to quota bills

A delegation of the ruling Congress MLAs in Chhattisgarh on Monday met the newly-appointed Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan and requested him to give his assent to two reservation amendment bills cleared by the state Assembly. The minister leading the delegation later claimed the Governor seems to be under pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Congress had been at loggerheads with Harichandan's predecessor Anusuiya Uikey, who was shifted to the Mizoram Raj Bhavan last month, over delay in giving assent to reservation bills passed by the Assembly in December last year for enhancing the overall quota to 76 per cent in government jobs and admissions to educational institutions in the state.

After meeting the Governor, state Industry Minister Kawasi Lakhma, who was leading the delegation, said they did not receive any firm assurance from Harichandan over giving his assent to the quota bills and claimed he seems to be under pressure from the Opposition BJP.

“We met the Governor and urged him to give his assent to the reservation bills. Since the assent to the reservation bills has not come so far, recruitment process for government posts is getting delayed and youths looking for jobs are facing problem. We urged the Governor to give his assent,” said the senior tribal leader.

“But we did not receive any firm assurance from him. Politics is being done over reservation bills and it seems the Governor is under pressure from the BJP. The BJP is trying to stall reservation bills. The Governor said he will go through the bills and see,” the minister added.

Lakhma said he will try to approach the Governor again to obtain his approval which is necessary for the bills to become law.

This year's Assembly elections will be decided on the reservation issue. Be it former chief minister Raman Singh or the BJP, the tribals of the state will give a befitting reply to them and they will be defeated, said the Congress leader.

The Assembly on December 2 passed the two bills -- the Chhattisgarh Public Service (Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes Reservation) Amendment Bill and the Chhattisgarh Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Amendment Bill -- related to quota in government jobs and admission in educational institutions in proportion to the population of different social groups.

According to the bills, the Scheduled Tribe will get a quota of 32 per cent, Other Backward Classes 27 per cent, Scheduled Caste 13 per cent, while four per cent has been provisioned for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), taking the overall reservation in the state to 76 percent.

The delay in Governor's assent to the key bills has escalated the tussle between the Raj Bhavan and the Congress government in the state, where polls are due by the year-end.

The Congress government also approached the Chhattisgarh High Court on the issue following which the HC had issued a notice to the Raj Bhavan last month. However, the order was later stayed by the HC.