Dilip Khedkar, father of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, has defended his daughter against allegations of misusing the disability and OBC quota to secure her position. He questioned the scrutiny surrounding her request for a separate office and other facilities, emphasizing that the matter is under investigation and awaiting a final verdict.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accused the Congress of reducing the quota for the OBCs in Karnataka by including Muslim castes in the same category. Speaking at an election rally in Madhya Pradesh, he claimed that Congress intends to replicate this approach nationwide. Modi asserted that the party’s decision violates the Constitution, which prohibits reservation based on religion. This move, he said, has deprived the OBC community of a significant portion of their reservations. Modi further criticized Congress for its alleged plans to impose inheritance tax, a policy he termed an attack on ancestral wealth. He contrasted Congress’s alleged mismanagement of Madhya Pradesh with the BJP’s record of development in the state.
Lara Dutta has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s courage in staying true to his beliefs and convictions, particularly his remarks regarding the distribution of wealth to Muslims by Congress. She emphasized the challenges of navigating public opinion and commended Modi for his unwavering stance. Meanwhile, PM Modi’s speech in Rajasthan saw him criticising Congress over the Muslim quota and OBC quota, highlighting their stance on resource distribution.
The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has summoned the Chief Secretary of the Karnataka government over the state’s categorisation of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota, which provides for “blanket reservation” to Muslims under Category II-B. NCBC Chairperson Hansraj Gangaram Ahir expressed concerns that this categorisation is leading to over-representation of Muslims in government positions and educational institutions, depriving other deserving OBC communities of their share. The Commission cited postgraduate medical admissions in Karnataka in 2021-22 and 2022-23 as evidence of this issue. Ahir also questioned the validity of the reports based on which the entire Muslim community had been declared backward in the state, as the state government has yet to provide a full report of a current survey that supports this classification.
