Congress Protests OBC Reservation U-Turn as MP Assembly Monsoon Session Begins Amid Tight Restrictions

Bhopal: The monsoon session of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly began on Monday with high political drama, as Congress MLAs launched a symbolic protest accusing the BJP government of backtracking on its promise to implement 27% reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBC).

Congress legislators, carrying placards and small “Girgit” (chameleon) toys, staged their protest at the feet of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in the Assembly premises. Their message was sharp: the BJP government is “changing its stance like a chameleon” when it comes to OBC rights.

The protest came in defiance of a new circular issued by the Assembly Secretariat on July 10 under Standing Order 94(2), which bans sloganeering, symbolic gestures, and demonstrations within the Assembly complex. The circular, citing security reasons, also limited entry passes for aides and drivers—moves which Congress termed as attempts to muzzle dissent and restrict media access to important legislative activity.

Inside the House, the session opened on a respectful note, with tributes paid to deceased leaders and prominent personalities including Raja Surendra Bahadur Singh, Raghunath Chaudhary, Shankar Lal Munnakhedi, Sardar Sukhdev Singh, Dr Girija Vyas, and folk artist Ramsahay Pandey. The Assembly also remembered victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and the June 12 Air India crash in Ahmedabad.

Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, and Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar led the House in offering condolences.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Umakant Sharma used the moment to take a jab at the Congress, questioning the absence of senior leader and former CM Kamal Nath. “Internal cracks within the Congress are becoming evident,” he said.