BHOPAL: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has written to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, demanding implementation of 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and immediate appointment of all selected candidates. He also made the letter, dated September 22, public on social media.
Gandhi said several students raised the issue from the state during his "Students' Voice" programme in Indore, where they spoke about education, employment and uncertain futures. Among their chief concerns was the stalling of appointments under the OBC quota.
“According to the students, they cleared the examinations and completed the selection process, yet 13 per cent of posts linked to OBC reservation have been withheld under the "87:13" formula," Gandhi said. "Candidates selected against these posts have been waiting for appointment letters since 2022.”
Gandhi further noted that all political parties had unanimously backed the 27 per cent OBC quota, but the matter remains unresolved. Aspirants, he said, have repeatedly been forced onto the streets to press for appointments. He urged the chief minister to hear the students' concerns and said the time of young people who have waited over four years should not be wasted further.
At the September 19 event in Indore, a student told Gandhi she had passed a government examination but had not received an appointment because 13 per cent of the posts were put on hold owing to a legal dispute.
In his response, CM Yadav said issues concerning education and youth should be discussed with facts and figures.
The 27 per cent OBC quota was introduced in 2019 under the Congress government led by then chief minister Kamal Nath. It took the state's total reservation beyond the 50 per cent ceiling generally applied by courts. The move was challenged in court, with petitioners questioning the constitutional validity of the enhanced quota.
Following the challenge, the state adopted the 87:13 formula for recruitment. Under it, appointments are made against 87 per cent of posts, while the remaining 13 per cent, linked to the disputed OBC quota, are kept in abeyance until the litigation is decided by the MP High Court.
The issue has remained a flashpoint between the government and OBC aspirants, with qualified candidates demanding that the withheld posts be filled. Congress leaders have also repeatedly raised the matter, seeking implementation of the quota and an end to the uncertainty faced by selected candidates in the BJP-ruled state.