The Hindu : National : 'Mulayam distorting demography'

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Friday, Jun 24, 2005

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National

'Mulayam distorting demography'

Special Correspondent

UP "squeezing out" figures of other communities in favour of backward classes

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday accused the Mulayam Singh Yadav Government in Uttar Pradesh of distorting the demography of the State ahead of the panchayat elections by "squeezing out" the figures of other communities and tilting the scales in favour of the backward classes.

"This is the first step towards fascism in Uttar Pradesh and there is a serious danger to the demography in the State. It is not the question of one group or religion against the other but one set of people who do not believe in democracy against the other," State Congress chief Salman Khursheed said here at a press conference.

He said the people of Uttar Pradesh were apprehensive about the fate of the panchayat elections. "Their worst fears were confirmed when the delimitation exercise for these elections took place... The machinations indulged in the reservation of panchayat seats have surpassed all previous records... This fraud on democracy has been exposed in the public interest litigation filed in Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court."

In Jarra Mail, Surajpur Barkhera, Rui Sinora, Bisti Khurd, Bhiwani Nagar and Sinoria Bhidora villages of Mainpuri district, the Chief Minister's home turf, the general population according to the 2000 general elections record was between 58 to 529, while in the 2005 rapid survey carried out by the State Government, the general population has been recorded as zero, Mr. Khursheed said.

In May, the State Government issued an order for reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes/Tribes, backward classes and women and the list was to be published on May 30. However, on May 18, the order was withdrawn as Mr. Yadav's own Safai village was reserved for the Scheduled Castes. The Government issued a fresh order on June 6 with a proviso that villages with 50 per cent and more population of SC/ST/BC would be restricted to rotation between male and female candidates of that particular caste.

`A violation'

"This is a clear violation of the constitutional mandate of Article 243D and Section 11A of the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Raj Act, which requires rotation of reserved seats amongst all reserved categories," he said. The Chief Minister has done no service to his own caste because by showing many villages as having more than 50 per cent backward classes and giving them permanent reservation he has deprived villages that have less than that figure.

Mr. Khursheed said the vacation bench heard the PIL on June 17 and in its order noted that the reservation provided through June 6 order was prima facie contrary to Article 243D of the Constitution and Section 11A of the Panchayat Raj Act.

The Court also stayed the order and has restrained the publication of lists of panchayats reserved for BC/SC/ST/women till July 4 and listed the petition for further hearing on July 5.

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