Patwari accused BJP of neglecting OBCs for six years, blocking appointments, leaving 13% of posts vacant, denying thousands of jobs, and opposing rightful OBC representation despite 2019 reservation law.

Bhopal

In a joint press conference at the Madhya Pradesh Congress headquarters on Tuesday, State Congress President Jeetu Patwari and Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar strongly criticized the BJP government, accusing it of betraying and sidelining the OBC community. They alleged that the BJP spent Rs 100 crore on legal measures to block the reservation, while publicly claiming support, and demanded a white paper on the delay and expenditure. The leaders dismissed the upcoming all-party meeting on August 28 as symbolic, calling for immediate enforcement of the Supreme Court-backed 27 per cent OBC quota.

Patwari stated that the BJP openly wronged the OBC population over six years, halting appointments through administrative orders in 2021 and 2022, despite the Congress government’s legal enactment of the 2019 reservation under Kamal Nath. He highlighted that 13 per cent of sanctioned posts remained unfilled, affecting over one lakh aspirants, with many losing livelihoods. Patwari alleged that thousands of qualified candidates were denied jobs, accusing Shivraj Singh and Mohan Yadav of failing to enforce the law, and criticized the BJP and RSS for opposing rightful OBC representation.

Echoing this, Singhar condemned the BJP’s double-faced policy, calling its promises hollow and deceptive. He cited repeated Supreme Court queries over the stalled appointments and noted that other states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka have higher OBC reservations. Singhar accused the BJP of stripping OBCs of their rights and demanded immediate implementation of the 27 per cent quota. Both leaders reaffirmed that it was Congress that ensured the reservation and vowed to fight for its full enforcement.