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- Published: January 6, 2023 18:34
New Delhi: The Supreme Court order on OBC quota in Uttar Pradesh’s urban local body polls came as a major relief for Yogi Adityanath government as this not only gave it time to put forth its stand but also gave a three-month timeframe for preparing for the polls, with reservations.
The Apex Court stayed the Allahabad High Court order, which directed the state government to hold the local body polls without OBC reservations, as the latter didn’t follow the triple-test formula.
Amid SC respite for Yogi government, some sensational details have emerged about what led to OBC quota fiasco in court. Some reports suggest that the matter was tactically taken to court by vested interests to bring embarrassment to Yogi government and also to safeguard some seat for Samajwadi Party (SP) office-bearers.
Reports suggest that a General category seat in Rae Bareli district had turned into OBC reserved seat, following the invocation of quota. As the seat was held by a high-profile SP leader, he was bound to lose the constituency if the polls were held with OBC quota.
A conscious decision was taken to complicate the matter by creating a technical flaw/glitch and in turn derail the entire process of providing quota to backward & unpriviledged communities.
The same was confirmed by UP urban development & Energy minister AK Sharma.
It may be noted that just days ago, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had leveled conspiracy charge against the ruling BJP dispensation in state. He claimed that the BJP govt was hatching a conspiracy to oust the backward community from power by divesting them of reservations. He said that the BJP government was formed with support from OBC community but after getting into power, they are divesting them of their rights.
The tall SP leader of Rae Bareli district got one of his confidantes to drag the government in court via a PIL, claiming that it has failed in implementing three-test formula. It demanded that if the state government was delaying the implementation of OBC quota in local body polls, elections can go ahead without quota.
Contesting the charge, the BJP government said that it was following the rapid survey as per rules and its December 5 notification was meant to provide 27% reservation in all kinds of constituencies. Despite that, the SP faction questioned govt’s intent and argued in court that OBCs were being stripped of their rights.