Calcutta HC order slap in face of those indulged in vote bank politics: Chhattisgarh CM

Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday hailed the Calcutta High Court’s decision to scrap the OBC status of several classes in West Bengal, calling it a slap in the face of those indulged in appeasement politics through “religion-based” quota.

The HC on Wednesday struck down the OBC (Other Backward Class) status of several classes in Bengal, finding such reservations under a 2012 Act to vacancies in services and posts in the state illegal. It observed that the inclusion of 77 classes of Muslims in the list of backward categories was to “treat them as vote bank”.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has asserted that she will not accept the order and hinted that her government could challenge it in the Supreme Court.

Asked about Banerjee’s statement, Sai told reporters here, “We welcome the decision of Calcutta High Court over religion-based reservation. It is a slap in the face of those who practise vote bank and appeasement politics by giving religion-based reservation.”

Later, Sai claimed in a statement that Congress and the opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc have been conspiring to “murder the Constitution”.

“We all know that religion-based reservation has no place in the Constitution. On Wednesday, the Honourable Calcutta High Court scrapped all the religion-based OBC certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010. This is a big decision for the OBC, tribals and all backward communities in the country,” he said.

The judgment shows how Mamata Banerjee’s government was taking ahead the “policy of appeasement in an unconstitutional manner”, he said.

“I.N.D.I.A bloc has been continuously robbing the rights of tribals and backward classes and wants to snatch their rights and hand them over to Muslims, just because of its vote bank politics. It is highly condemnable,” Sai said.

Neither BJP nor backward, tribals and Dalits will tolerate the politics of appeasement of Congress and its alliance, he said.

“What is even more serious is that the West Bengal CM has said that she will not accept this decision and will not implement it. It is very unfortunate," he added.