Mamata Banerjee vows to challenge cancellation of OBC certificate in higher court

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced that her government would approach a higher court to challenge the Calcutta High Court order that canceled all OBC certificates issued in the state since 2010.

Addressing an election rally at Sagar in South 24 Parganas district, she said the state government would appeal the order in the apex court after the summer vacation.

“We do not accept the order that removed OBC certificates. We will contest in a higher court after the summer vacation,” Banerjee said.

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday declared the OBC status accorded to several classes in the state since 2010 illegal, triggering a political debate in the midst of the Lok Sabha election.

The court observed that inclusion of 77 classes of Muslims in the list of backward categories amounted to “treating them as a vote bank”.

“I respect the courts, but a few judges are just following the dictates of the BJP and the CPI(M).” Banerjee urged voters “not to vote even once in favor of the BJP or any other party except the TMC so that the INDIA bloc can form a government at the Centre”.

She also accused the BJP of planning to implement the Uniform Civil Code to “undermine” the rights of people belonging to the SC and ST community. Banerjee appealed to families of Haj pilgrims to vote wisely as “implementation of the Uniform Civil Code and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) could deprive citizens of their rights”.

She alleged that the BJP had “attempted to disrespect the women of Sandeshkhali, incite riots and revoke the reservations and labor rights of the backward classes” and that its sole aim was to “defame the TMC and the Bengal.” The TMC supremo accused the saffron camp of running advertisements to “mislead people”. Banerjee said the ‘Gangasagar Mela’ should be recognized as a national fair and claimed that her government was independently running the annual event while “the Center was not providing adequate support”.

She also promised the completion of a bridge over the Muriganga river in the next 2-3 years, even though the “Centre has not extended its support in the Rs 1,500 crore project”.

“You must come and vote even if it rains,” she said at the rally, emphasizing the need to defeat the BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. A depression in the Bay of Bengal is likely to concentrate into a severe cyclonic storm and make landfall between Sagar Island in West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh around midnight on May 26, bringing heavy rain to the coastal districts of the ‘State, the Met department said. Friday.

Banerjee’s comment came after the turnout in the fifth round of voting in seven Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal was found to be lower, compared to the percentage in the 2019 poll, due to two hours of delay. rain.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)