The Times of India News Service

PATNA: The BJP on Monday charged that the state government is trying to deny reservation to women, scheduled castes (SCs) and other backward castes (OBCs) in the elections to the posts of mayors and deputy mayors of different municipal corporations and chairman and vice-chairman of various municipalities. The elections are likely to be held by the year end.

Leader of Opposition in state assembly Sushil Kumar Modi on Monday said that although section 4 and 6 of Article 243 T of the Indian Constitution provided for reservation to SCs, STs, Women and Other backward castes (OBCs), yet the resolution passed by the state cabinet to promulgate an ordinance to amend the Bihar Municipality Act, 1992, does not refer to reservation for these sections of the society in the polls to the local bodies.

Modi said that the Section 4 of the Article 243 T says that the offices of the chairpersons in the municipalities shall be reserved for the SCs, STs and women in such a manner as the legislature of a state may, by law, provide. The Section 6 said that nothing shall prevent the legislature of a state from making any provision for reservation of seats for backward class citizen in any municipalities or offices of chairpersons in the municipalities, he added. He said that government has provided reservation for the posts of ward counsellors.

Requesting the state government to revise the list of backward castes, Modi said the former was still sticking to the old list which had already been struck down by Patna High Court. He said that by sticking to the old list of OBCs, the government was is inviting people to challenge it in the court.

Demanding the election of local bodies on party basis, Modi said that in several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi, it had been held on party basis. He also demanded direct elections to the posts of chairpersons of different local bodies including municipal corporations and municipalities.

Modi said that government's refusal to provide for reservation to SCs, women and extremely backward classes in the elections to the posts of mukhiya, district board chairman and prakhand pramukh in the panchayat polls had led us to a position where not a single chairman of the district board belonged to SCs while only one member of the extremely backward class could get elected to the post.

Modi said that had the government provided for reservation for SCs and Women, at least seven SCs and 13 women would have got elected to the post of district board chairman. He said that only six women had been elected chairpersons of different district boards. He said that the government had made wrong interpretation of a Patna High Court order to deny reservation to women, SCs and OBCs in the elections to posts of mukhiya, district board chairmen and prakhand pramukh.

Modi said that the results of panchayat polls had clearly demonstrated that the Muslim-Yadav (MY) combination of RJD Chief Laloo Prasad Yadav had developed cracks beyond repair as at several places Muslims and yadavs fought against each other. He said that Lakhminia Bazar under Balia block of Begusarai district had remained closed for five days due to clashes between the two. Similar situation was witnessed in the constituency of law minister Shakeel Ahmad Khan falling in Gaya district. He said that the NDA, particularly the BJP, had performed reasonably well in the panchayat polls.