New Delhi: In the midst of a raging controversy over reservation for OBCs in elite educational institutions, HRD Minister Arjun Singh on Thursday met the Election Commission after seeking a hearing to discuss the row created over his moves.
Singh, who has been projecting himself as a crusader for the cause of reservation, met Chief Election Commissioner BB Tandon and other two commissioners. "He (Singh) wanted a personal hearing which was granted", EC sources said.
The meeting comes a day after he called on President A P J Abdul Kalam and apprised him of his views on the issue of reservation, which has led to raging protests in Delhi and some parts of the country.
Singh met the Commission almost a month after it had observed that at his reported announcement on OBC quotas amounted to a new concession to certain sections of the electorate in the five states where assembly poll process was on.
Earlier, Singh had denied the EC's charge that he has prima facie violated the model code of conduct for elections by announcing plans for quota in the Central universities, IIMs and IITs.
"There was no announcement of any concession much less any other breach of the model code of conduct. There is no basis even for a prima facie view to that effect", Singh had said.
Not satisfied with his reponse, the EC had again sought certain clarifications from the Minister and a reply from Union Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi on the alleged violation.
Singh had sought from the Commission the video footage that reportedly showed him making announcement about reservation and saw them.
The Commission had already asked the Centre to defer consideration of the controversial draft Bill by the Union Cabinet on the issue till the completion of the assembly polls in the five states.
Earlier this week, Singh had held a press conference in the Capital in which he made a veiled attack on his Cabinet colleague and Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal over his reported remarks which were seen by him as anti-reservation.
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