Jharkhand: BJP refuses to be part of the all-party delegation

RANCHI: Opposition BJP on Monday rejected chief minister Hemant Soren’s call to join an all-party delegation to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for a caste-based census. Earlier, Soren had written to Modi seeking his time to meet the delegation on the issue.
Addressing a press conference, BJP state unit president and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash said his party will not join the delegation, accusing the ruling coalition of playing “petty” politics over the OBC reservation issue.His statement came on a day when Congress was hosting a meeting of all non-NDA parties as part of its move to form a united front against BJP both in the state and the Centre.
He said, “We haven’t got any invitation to be a part of the delegation. Moreover, we don’t believe in their leadership. If at all we have to meet the PM, BJP will independently meet him. Why should we go with them? Congress and their allies are today shedding crocodile’s tears but never cared for the OBCs and the backward castes when they were in power. Only BJP and Modiji are the messiahs of the poor and downtrodden.”
Questioning the agenda behind the meeting hosted by Congress, Prakash claimed that it was yet another “ploy” by the grand old party to dupe the people of the state.
“We don’t know the purpose of the meeting called by Congress but BJP strongly demands that the Hemant Soren government implements the 27% reservation to OBC for jobs and education in Jharkhand,” Prakash said.
He further said, “I came across a few statements made by some leaders of the ruling party that they will resort to a protest if the 27% reservation is not given. We want to ask Congress, JMM and RJD’s coalition government here who has stopped them from giving the reservation. Along with the 27% OBC reservation, the state government must also give 10% quota to the other economically backward people on the lines of the policy implemented for the purpose by the central government.”
Currently, OBCs in the state are demanding 27% reservation which the ruling alliance parties had promised in their poll manifestos. OBCs now have 14% reservation in Jharkhand. The Union government has recently passed a bill in the monsoon session of Parliament empowering the states to decide on the hike of quota to the OBCs in their respective regions.
However, several non-BJP ruled states are seeking a caste-based census in the upcoming nationwide population survey, claiming that without the actual figures of the existing population in different caste categories, deciding on the reservation is difficult.
Prakash also lashed out at the state government over issues of the deteriorating law and order and alleged corruption incidents in the public distribution system among others.