New Delhi, January 12: The Election Commission today asked the government to put on hold its decision on 4.5 per cent sub-quota for minorities in five poll-bound states till election process ends there as a controversy raged over the issue.
“It has been brought to the notice of the Commission that the Central Government has carved out 4.5 per cent sub-quota for minorities from within 27 per cent quota for OBCs in violation of the Model Code of Conduct and should be stopped by the Commission,” the EC said in a statement.
The Commission said that while considering the matter, it “took into account the fact that the decision was taken and announced” on December 22, last year, two days before the poll schedule was announced and the Model Code of Conduct went into force.
The EC, therefore, “directed” the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions (Department of Personnel & Training) that the Office Memorandum dated December 22, 2011, “shall not be given effect to” in the poll-going states — Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh — “until the completion of the election process in these states”.
The BJP had attacked the decision as aimed at influencing the voters in the coming assembly elections especially in Uttar Pradesh.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid went a step further when he announced in his wife Louise’s constituency Farrukhabad that Congress, if voted to power in UP, would double the sub-quota to nine percent for OBC Muslims.
Against this, BJP had moved the EC alleging it was violation of the model code of conduct, after which the Commission issued a show cause notice to Salman Khurshid.
Khurshid, however, maintained he had not violated the model code of conduct.
“I have not violated the model code of conduct. I have a right to put forth my view. It should reach the people,” he told reporters here today.
Congress Refuses to Comment
Congress today declined to comment on the Election Commission’s decision to put reservation for the minorities on hold till the end of assembly elections.
“We do not want to comment despite the fact that the decision was taken and announced before the announcement of elections to five states,” Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi told PTI here.
Since Election Commission is a Constitutional body, it is its responsibility to ensure free and fair elections, he noted.
“After it is stayed for two months, this decision will be implemented later,” Alvi said.
‘EC Order on Reservation a Rap for UPA’: BJP
BJP today said the Election Commission directive to the government to put on hold its decision of giving 4.5 per cent reservation to minorities was a slap on the UPA dispensation which it alleged was committing an unconstitutional act for votebank politics.
“This is a slap on the Congress-led government which was deliberately trying to play politics over the reservation issue. The step was aimed at votebank politics and not for the welfare of the minorities,” BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.
He maintained that though the government knew well that reservation on basis of religion would be struck down by a Constitutional body like the Election Commission, it went ahead with it to fool the minorities.
“Even on the Lokpal Bill, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said that Parliament should pass the Bill and its constitutionality and legality should be decided by the courts,” Hussain said.
The Lokpal Bill also sought to reserve “not less than 50 per cent of the seats for minorities” in the panel.
Hussain said the government was also aware that the case of reservation on religious lines by Andhra Pradesh government is pending in the court, yet it went ahead with an eye on the Uttar Pradesh polls.
“Backwardness of minorities is due to wrong policies of the Congress over the decades and not due to lack of reservation. This directive is a big jolt to the government and has exposed its attempt to offer sops to the minorities to win their votes,” Hussain said.
–PTI