CM defends reservation hike, govt to present its case again ‘strongly’
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday defended his government’s decision to hike the reservation for Other Backward Class as per their population percentage.
He was reacting on the Chhattisgarh high court, Bilaspur’s order earlier in the day to stay the hike.
Commenting on the court’s stay order, Baghel, while talking to media persons, said: “The next hearing in the case in the high court is after two weeks and there we will present the stand of the government strongly.”
“The court had not restricted the reservation hike for Scheduled Caste from 12 to 13% as well as 10% for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) of unreserved category. As far as the hike in OBC reservation from 14% to 27%, which has been stayed, we have to fight for it and we will strongly present our view point in the next hearing, which is scheduled after two weeks from now”, he said.
Notable, the state government through an order had hiked the OBC reservation in the state to 27%. With this increase, the ‘quota’ in state has been increased from 69% to 82%. The high court has stayed this hike, but has not made any restriction in hike in quota for SCs and EWS.
