Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Sunday asked the Gujarat government to take a decision on inclusion of the Patidar community in Other Backward Classes (OBC) category at the earliest.
Athawale was on a visit to the Statue of Unity at Kevadia in Narmada district. "As far as the inclusion of Patidar community in OBC category is concerned, the (Social Justice and Empowerment) ministry has given the power to the states, and we also amended the Constitution for the same," Athawale told reporters. "Now that we have given this power to the states, I would request the Gujarat government to take a decision to include the Patidar community in the OBC category at the earliest. It will have my full support," Athawale, president of Republican party of India (A) and Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra, said.
In the visitors' book at the Statue of Unity, Athawale wrote that the dream of 'Ek Bharat, Sreshtha Bharat' was made possible due to the efforts of Sardar Patel. Due to the far-sightedness of Prime Minister Naredra Modi, the world's tallest statue dedicated to Sardar Patel was built in such a short time, he was quoted as saying in a PIB release.
The issue of reservations to the Patidar community has remained a burning issue ever since they launched a statewide agitation for it in 2015. The stir, led by Hardik Patel, who is now with the Congress, had turned violent.
The BJP government's effort to appease the community by coming out with a notification providing 10 per cent reservation to the economically backward classes in government jobs and educational institutions was quashed by the Gujarat High Court.
The Parliament had, in August last year, passed the Constitutional Amendment Bill to restore the power of the states to make their own OBC lists.
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Published 16 January 2022, 16:57 IST