Poll panel finds fault with Arjun's reply

Cong says govt just held inter-ministerial talks, no decision yet

The Election Commission has expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation by Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh about his statement on reservation for OBCs in educational institutions after Assembly elections in four states were announced.

The commission, in a communication to Cabinet Secretary BK Chaturvedi, has sought certain clarifications from Singh and the government.

While this puts a question mark on Singh's announcement, it also gives the government time to deal with the issue.

The EC had charged the minister with violating the model code of conduct. If it finds Singh guilty, the prime minister may have to step in to settle the issue.

Arjun Singh, in his reply to the EC notice, had defended himself saying he had not announced anything new as after the 104th amendment, Article 15(5) of the Constitution, which enhanced the percentage of reservation, came into force on January 20.

"Thus, advancement of socially and educationally backward classes of citizens (OBCs) in matters of admission ...is an existing constitutional scheme and by no stretch of imagination is a new announcement'' Singh had said, adding that the EC's complaint against him did not specify which clause of the model code of conduct he had violated.

"It is unfortunate that the commission has issued the communication to the cabinet secretary merely on the basis of what it calls `various reports appearing in the electronic and print media' and has concluded that the alleged announcement amounts to new concession to certain sections of the electorate in the five states," Singh had said.

Citing newspaper reports to justify his claim, he said when a specific question was put to him as to when the government would announce the decision, his reply was that it "would be taken and announced only after elections" to the five state assemblies were over. He said he did not even mention the percentage of reservation.

The Congress, meanwhile, sought to end the controversy, saying that no government decision had been taken and what had been con sidered mere "inter-ministerial proposals".

"We have not reached a stage where it can be called a government decision. What was reported were mere exchanges of inter-ministerial proposals," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters here.