UPA-Left meet on April 5 on SC order on OBCs reservation

New Delhi, Apr 1 (UNI) The UPA allies and the Left parties will meet here on April 5 to discuss the Supreme Court stay on the reservation for OBCs in higher educational institutions to find ways and means how to get the order vacated to defend the legislative rights of the deprived sections.

This was disclosed by CPI(M) senior leader and Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury to UNI today adding that the architect of reservation for the OBCs and HRD minister Arjun Singh would invite the Left parties for discussions.

The apex court in its March 29 judgement stayed the 27.5 per cent reservation for the OBCs in the IITs and IIMs which triggered strong student reactions- some in favour and some opposing- and the political parties, in particular the DMK holding a state bandh in protest, the Left parties terming it as" unfortunate" and asking the government to take immediate remedial steps. But the BJP accused the ruling coalition of not preparing the case properly. The Congress reiterated its commitment to defend the legislative rights of the deprived.

The UPA- Left meet is likely to be held at the HRD ministry or the 7, Race Course Road, the Prime Minister's official residence.

Sources said Mr Yechury met Mr Arjun Singh on March 30 when he is understood to have impressed upon Mr Singh to go in for broader consultations with the political parties.

Mr Singh then took up the matter with the Core Committee of the Congress which acceped Mr Singh's proposal. After meeting with the Left, the government will hold discussions with other parties.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) 80-member Central Committee in session at party headquarters at A K Gopalan Bhawan continued to deliberate on the political agenda for the second day today. It had been finalised by the party Polit Bureau which held a half-day session in the morning yesterday.

Surprisingly no party leader came forward to brief the waiting newspersons today.

But the sources said the party discussed the Nandigram issue in the perspective with the West Bengal representatives insisting on the right approach of the party while dealing with the situation even as the party veteran and former state Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and the incumbent CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee have confessed about the "mistake" and the failure to gauge the" strong reaction" it triggered.

These representatives are understood to have stressed that those who were killed in the police firing were their own men. Even a ten-year girl who was raped is the daughter of the party supporter.

The sources denied the speculation of the media that the party was quite upset with the publication of the contents of the CBI report on the Nandigram incident saying that the Bengali press had already carried similiar stories.

"The party goes by the structured and scheduled agenda and is not unduly perturbed over any development taking place in between," they said.

A leading national English daily today came out with an article asserting that the CBI report which has already been submitted to the Calcutta High Court, which ordered the inquiry, contains evidence to contradict the state government's claim and establishes a link between the violence in Nandigram on March 14 and CPM cadres who were supplied illegal arms and ammunition.

The party CC is likely to take up the issue of presidential polls in July in its deliberations on the third day tomorrow.

The Party, however, will take a final view only after the polls outcome of the UP assembly depending on the electoral composition for the purpose, the sources added.

Apart from party General Secretary Prakash Karat, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Kerala CM Achutanandan, party senior leaders- Brinda Karat, M K Pandhe, Basudeb Acharia, Nilotpal Basu, W R Vardharajan and West Begnal Left Front Chairman Biman Bose are attending the three day session to conclude tomorrow.

UNI