RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday said the ruling Congress has decided to organise a rally in state capital Raipur on January 3 over state governor Anusuiya Uikey’s delaying her assent to two amendment bills related to reservation passed by the assembly earlier this month.
“The governor was looking for excuses to delay the process of approving these bills. The bills were passed by the state assembly. Is the legal advisor to Raj Bhawan bigger than the state’s Vidhan Sabha which passed the bills?” Baghel said.
He described it as “a live example” of how an attempt is being made to weaken and demean constitutional institutions.
The Chhattisgarh Congress’s move to hold a rally against the governor signals an effort by the ruling party to raise pressure on Raj Bhavan which has not granted its assent to the two bills.
The state assembly on December 3 passed the Chhattisgarh Public Service (Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes Reservation) Amendment Bill and Chhattisgarh Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Amendment Bill for proportional quotas.
The bills seek to increase the reservation for Other Backward Classes to 27% from 14% and to 13% from 12% for the Scheduled Caste community. The 32% reservation for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category has been kept unchanged. A provision for a 4% reservation to the Economic Weaker Section has also been made, taking the total reservation to 76%.
{{/usCountry}}The bills seek to increase the reservation for Other Backward Classes to 27% from 14% and to 13% from 12% for the Scheduled Caste community. The 32% reservation for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category has been kept unchanged. A provision for a 4% reservation to the Economic Weaker Section has also been made, taking the total reservation to 76%.
{{/usCountry}}“When the governor raised 10 queries in connection with bills, all my officers were against sending the reply as there is no such arrangement in the Constitution. But I decided to send her the replies in order to satisfy the governor’s ego in the interest of 2.5 crore people of the state,” Baghel added.
On December 12, Uikey said she sought details from the government to understand how the increase in the reservation to 76% can be defended if the bills are challenged in court. She said after getting the answers from the government, she will take advice from her legal cell. Uikey said if she finds the government’s response unsatisfactory, she will look at other options.
The Chhattisgarh high court in September set aside a 2012 order raising the quota to 58%, calling the reservation exceeding the 50% ceiling unconstitutional.
The decision halted the recruitment process for government jobs. The court also brought down the quota for STs from 32% to 20% and triggered protests.