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State's stand on quota not clear

Staff Reporter

While Chief Minister says apex court will be moved, a Minister talks of ordinance

BHUBANESWAR: A day after the Congress threatened to go on agitation in protest against the possible cut in reservation assigned for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC), the Orissa Government here on Tuesday spoke in two voices.

While Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that the government would move the Supreme Court seeking a status quo, Minister of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Caste Development, Minority and Backward Classes Welfare Chaitanya Prasad Majhi said an ordinance could be promulgated to honour Orissa High Court's verdict to cap reservation at 50 per cent.

Mr. Patnaik said the government was waiting to receive a copy of High Court verdict that stated to cap reservation at 50 per cent. But the state government would move Supreme Court to keep OBC quota intact by citing reasons for this and reservation required for a state like Orissa, the Chief Minister said.

Minister's contention

Addressing press conference in the afternoon, Mr. Majhi, however, made it clear that under no circumstances the percentage of reservation for SC and ST, which was 38.75 per cent, would be reduced. "In October 2006, the Supreme Court in the case of M. Nagraj and others pronounced that the maximum of reservation in posts and services was to be 50 per cent. But so far the reservation of ST and SC is concerned which is being done according to percentage of population, the reservation for them shall be kept in tact," the Minister pointed out. "We will either bring a new bill in the forthcoming Assembly or promulgate an ordinance to implement the High Court order," Mr. Majhi said. He added that reservation for SEBC in Orissa could be brought down below 10 per cent if quota for sports person, physically handicapped and green card holders were to be adjusted. On Monday, Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee President Jayadeb Jena declared to organise protests across the state if government went ahead with reducing quota percentage of OBCs.

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