Cong offers EBC quota to Patidars

AHMEDABAD: The Congress promised on Saturday to offer reservation in jobs and education to Gujarat’s influential Patidars in the economically backward class (EBC) category, but not in the other backward class (OBC) group as demanded by the community.

The party’s stand opens the possibility of endangering its likely alliance with Patidar leader Hardik Patel, a bitter critic of the BJP government in the state.

Patel threatened to disrupt Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Surat on November 3 if the reservation in the OBC category wasn’t assured.

The threat coincides with comments from the Congress’s Gujarat unit chief, Bharatsinh Solanki, in an interview to HT that his party would give EBC reservation to the Patidars.

The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) core committee passed a resolution on Saturday, warning the Congress.

“They should tell us how they can include Patidars in existing 27% OBC quota ...” said Dinesh Bambania, the group’s co-convenor. The committee authorised Bambania to declare the group’s stand after Patel threatened in a tweet to disrupt the Congress vice president’s rally unless the party cleared its position on reservation.

The 24-year-old Patel said on Thursday he would support the Congress in the polls as he has been assured by senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot of providing reservation under the OBC quota.

“I am sure he (Gandhi) will promise OBC status if the Congress is voted to power in Gujarat,” he had said.

Bambania reaffirmed that his group won’t accept reservation in the EBC section.

“In the Constitution, there is no provision for EBC. Even if Congress is voted to power in Gujarat, Constitution-related changes can be done only by the central government. And, next the Lok Sabha elections are in 2019. Then there is no question of extending support to the Congress this time,” he said.

The OBCs comprise 146 castes and make up around 40% of the state’s about 60-million people. Patidars, known to be traditional BJP supporters, constitute 12%.

Gujarat’s OBCs are given 27% quota in jobs and education.

The scheduled castes have 7% and the scheduled tribes 15%, making a total of 49%.