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BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala on Sunday said it is unfortunate that the opposition parties Congress and Trinamool Congress (TMC) violated the Constitution to please their vote bank.
Stepping up his attacks on TMC, Poonawala cited the Calcutta High Court order of scrapping all the OBC certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010 and said, "Now, the order by West Bengal High Court shows that only to appease a particular vote bank, the TMC took away the OBC reservation and gave it to the Muslims." He told ANI, "The Court has said that this has been done because of the vote bank. Court has also called it unconstitutional." Poonawala also asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is asking the INDI alliance leaders to give it in writing that reservations will not be given on the basis of religion and will not be given from the quota of SC, ST, and OBC. Criticising Congress, Poonawala said, "Hasn't Congress done this in the past also in Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh. And today also, be it TMC, or Lalu Prasad Yadav... All the leaders of the INDI alliance are going against the Constitution and BR Ambedkar to please a particular vote bank." The Calcutta High Court's directive, issued on May 22, instructs the West Bengal Backward Classes Commission to prepare a new list of OBCs in accordance with the 1993 Act. Individuals who were included in the OBC list prior to 2010 will retain their status, while nominations made after 2010 will be annulled. It is estimated that about five lakh OBC certificates are set to be invalidated as a result of this decision. However, individuals who have secured jobs under the OBC quota or are in the process of obtaining them will not be affected, as they cannot be excluded from the quota. Hours after the Calcutta High Court cancelled OBC certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said she will not accept the judgement and "OBC reservation continues and will always continue." (ANI)
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