Calcutta: India’s Communal Party’s Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the Calcutta high court's verdict that struck down the OBC status granted to "77 classes" in West Bengal, was a "tight slap" to the Opposition's INDIA bloc. Meanwhile, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said she would not accept the verdict, and her government might move the Supreme Court against the judgment. She also warned the BJP of a Rs 1000 crore defamation notice for allegedly tarnishing her government's achievements with false claims.

 

Striking down the quota eligibility, the high court observed that "religion appears to have been the sole criterion" for terming these classes as backward (OBCs). In a strongly worded statement, the court said its mind wasn't free from doubt that the "said community (Muslims) has been treated as a commodity for political ends". "This is clear from the chain of events that led to the classification of the 77 classes as OBCs and their inclusion to be treated as a vote bank," the court added, reported PTI.

 

Reacting to the development, PM Modi said the West Bengal government had crossed every limit of their obsession with the politics of appeasement. Addressing a rally in Dwarka, PM Modi said the Opposition accused him of making communal statements whenever he uttered the word Muslim, but he only exposed the latter by stating facts.

 

“Just today, the Calcutta High Court has given a big slap to this INDI alliance. The court has cancelled all OBC certificates issued since 2010. Why? Because the West Bengal government issued unwarranted OBC certificates to Muslims just because of the vote bank," he said. He also accused the Opposition of carrying out what he called "vote jihad".

 

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, addressing a poll rally in Khardah in the Dumdum Lok Sabha constituency, said the OBC reservation would continue in West Bengal. "The OBC reservation quota introduced by the West Bengal government will continue. We had drafted the Bill after conducting a house-to-house survey, and it was passed by the cabinet and the assembly,” she said. "If necessary, we will move to a higher court (against the order)," she added.

 

Referring to the May 20 Calcutta high court order restraining the BJP from publishing advertisements that violate the Model Code of Conduct, the Bengal chief minister threatened the BJP, saying she will file a defamation case of Rs 1000 crore against the party. “SC, ST, OBC get the rights as per the Constitution. Minorities also have their rights. Can anyone say that he will frame legislation only for the benefit of Hindus and leave out Muslims and other communities?" she said, per PTI.

 

She said she would file a defamation suit for "peddling falsehood about their achievements". "I will file a defamation of Rs1000 crore (against BJP) for peddling falsehood about their achievements and also for levelling false charges against me and my projects. I hadn’t taken even one paisa in my entire political career. And I will distribute the entire amount among the people,” she said.