Former chairperson of the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission H Kantharaju said on Saturday that the government must ensure that reservation is provided to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the Legislative Assembly and Council elections, similar to the reservation provided to SC and ST communities.
He was speaking at a convention organised to discuss the reservation issue to OBCs by the OBC Jagrutha Vedike here.
“The OBCs have remained backwards even after 75 years of Independence. Several communities can be empowered by providing political reservation,” he said.
Retired judge H N Nagmohan Das, who also took part in the event, urged the government to hold the elections for local bodies at the earliest by providing reservation to the OBCs.
Bhaktavatsala report
Though the T K Bhaktavatsala Commission report was submitted to the government, the government has neither accepted nor rejected the report. The government must provide OBC reservation as per the report’s recommendation and conduct local body elections.
If this is not feasible, then reservation must be accorded as per Kantharaju Commission report, he said.
The commission was constituted to determine the political backwardness of OBCs as required by the Supreme Court and recommended 33% reservation in the local bodies’ election.
OBC Jagrutha Vedike president M C Venugopal said the government, which spent Rs 170 crore on the Kantharaju Commission report, must accept the report and make the report public.
He urged that the government must ensure reservation to OBCs in Assembly, Council and Lok Sabha polls.