AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Congress invited prominent OBC leaders from the BJP to participate in a sit-in dharna organised in Gandhinagar on August 22 concerning the issues of Other Backward Classes, including the need for reservations for them in local bodies.
Through social media, Congress Legislative Party in Gujarat leader Amit Chavda invited a host of OBC MLAs, MPs and ministers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to attend the 'Swabhiman Dharna' (Sit-in for self-respect) organised at Satyagrah Chhavni ground in Gandhinagar at 10:30 am.
Importantly, the Opposition Congress has invited senior OBC politicians from the ruling BJP party to participate in a sit-in in Gandhinagar on Tuesday to raise awareness about a variety of issues impacting the Other Backward Classes, including the need for reservation for them in local bodies.
Amit Chavda said, "We have invited political leaders of all communities, all religions, all parties to discuss the various issues of the OBC community today."
“Under the "Swabhiman Dharna", four demands have been made to the government. In which caste-based population census has been demanded. Aside from that, we are calling for the implementation of a 27% OBC reservation in local self-government institutions, a 27% allocation of state Budget for the OBC population, and allotment of seats as per reservation in cooperatives also.” Said Chavda
The Gujarat Congress has accused the BJP of trying to end the representation of OBCs in local bodies.
According to Chavda, the protest has been organized by a non-political outfit called "OBC Anamat Bachao Samiti", which was formed last year to raise the issues concerning the community.
The main contention of the opposition party is the "delay" in making public a report submitted by a commission formed last year by the BJP government to ascertain the nature and implications of backwardness in local bodies to decide on reservations for OBCs in them.
The report was submitted by the commission in April this year. Since the report has not been made public, elections to several local bodies have been put on hold in the state, the Congress alleged.
Meanwhile, OBCs make up the majority of Gujarat's population. In the lack of new data, some estimates place them at nearly 40% of the population. In the 2022 assembly elections, 58 of the 182 candidates on the saffron party's ticket are from Other Backward Classes (OBCs).