Haryana okays sops day after poll date announced; subject to EC’s nod, says CM | India News – Times of India

CHANDIGARH: Haryana‘s BJP government cleared tweaks in SC and OBC quotas as part of a slew of populist decisions Saturday despite the model code kicking in since declaration of assembly polls the previous day, signalling a last-minute shaky dash to woo voters.
CM Nayab Singh Saini, treading cautiously, said the decisions cleared at a cabinet meeting were subject to EC’s approval.The decisions also include one that provides job security for extension (contractual) college lecturers getting Rs 50,000 and above per month. The model code came into force at 3pm Friday after the announcement of the October 1 polls. Saini had ample time to prepone the cabinet meeting before that. But he chose to have it on Saturday.
Haryana to form panel to ‘screen’ matters, seek EC clearance, says CM
“I was caught unaware on the declaration of the elections. We were all surprised. But since the agenda of the cabinet meeting had been circulated and time had been fixed in advance, we had to convene the meeting,” said CM Nayab Singh Saini. While leaving the fate of the decisions to the poll panel, the CM exuded optimism they would go through eventually. “We are sure to form government on October 4 and we shall have the first meeting of the House on October 6, where we will pass all these proposals,” Saini said.

Possibly aware of the model code hurdles, the CM said his government would form a three-member committee of secretaries to “screen” issues and forward them to the EC through chief electoral officer (CEO) Pankaj Aggarwal. The CEO described the screening committee, led by the state chief secretary, as a routine practice after imposition of model code to get clearance for urgent matters that may halt routine functioning of government departments.
Former CM and leader of opposition, Congress’s Bhupinder Singh Hooda, accused the Saini government of trying “to befool people of state and various groups”. “They had sufficient time to do all this in the past 10 years. What stopped them in doing so? Now, since they know about their fate in the elections, they are resorting to these acts. Else, the model code of conduct means total bar,” said Hooda.
A key move cleared by the Saini-led cabinet included reservations in promotions to SCs within the quota in accordance with recent directions of the apex court and recommendations of the SC Commission. Another pertains to a tweak in reservations for backward classes (BC) in civic and panchayat bodies, and an increase in non-creamy layer cap. BJP had played the BC card by anointing Saini as CM earlier this year, replacing Manohar Lal Khattar. Since then, Saini has been trying to reach out to all sections, especially SCs and government employees. The government had last week formalised job security for 1.2 lakh contractual employees.
CEO Aggarwal said none of Saturday’s cabinet decisions had come to him so far. “Let the screening committee send them to us and we will forward them to the Election Commission. Rest is the call of the EC,” Aggarwal added.