Former Madhya Pradesh CM Uma Bharti Expresses Disappointment With BJP's Stance On Reservation

While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is eager to claim credit for the unanimous passing of the 'Women's Reservation Bill' during the recent special parliamentary session, former Union minister Uma Bharti has expressed her disappointment. Bharti, a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, has voiced her discontent over the absence of a specific 27 percent reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) in the Women's Reservation Bill, which mandates a 33 percent reservation for women in both the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and state assemblies.

Bharti has taken her concerns to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, penning a letter to express her disappointment. She has now taken a stand against the Bill, emphasizing that she had advocated for OBC reservation when the Bill was first presented in 1996.

Speaking to the press in Bhopal, Bharti recounted her efforts, stating, “When Deve Gowda ji (former PM) presented the Women's Reservation Bill in 1996, I proposed OBC reservation in it. On that day, both the Congress and our party BJP were in unanimous agreement in the House to approve it without OBC reservation and were prepared to support it.”

To strengthen her advocacy for the OBC quota, to which she herself belongs, Bharti addressed a gathering of OBCs at her official residence in Bhopal. She warned that if the central leadership continued to disregard her voice, the BJP might face disappointing results in the upcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.

With approximately 51 percent of the OBC population in Madhya Pradesh, the state holds significant importance for the BJP in the forthcoming elections. Bharti, despite her differences with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressed her commitment to fighting for her community. She even hinted at the possibility of launching a mass movement in Madhya Pradesh if necessary.

While some political observers suggest that Bharti may be striving to regain lost political ground in Madhya Pradesh and has felt sidelined on several key occasions, she vehemently denies these claims. She clarified that she has never lost the support of her followers.

Responding to questions about her political ambitions, Bharti made it clear that she is not seeking the position of Chief Minister, a role she stepped away from years ago. She recounted how she had been distanced from her home state and made to contest an Assembly election from the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh in 2012, as some leaders in Madhya Pradesh argued that her presence could destabilize the government led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the party.

As Madhya Pradesh approaches a crucial Assembly election later this year, Uma Bharti appears to be striving to carve out a niche for herself and recapture her former prominence. Her vocal support for a special quota for OBCs in the Women's Reservation Bill underscores her determination to regain recognition within the political landscape.