Union Minister for environment and labour Bhupender Yadav on Monday stepped up the BJP’s attack on the Opposition by citing a recent report of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) to accuse the Rajasthan, West Bengal, Punjab and Bihar governments of discriminating against the Other Backward Classes (OBC).
The BJP’s attack is significant as many of these parties, the Trinamool Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Janata Dal (U) are heading governments in the above States, and have been demanding a caste census as a way of ensuring a rightful share of quotas in government jobs and educational institutions for OBCs.
“While the BJP government at the Centre gave the NCBC a constitutional status and took many steps towards social justice, the Congress never gave OBCs their due and was even opposed to providing reservations for them,” Mr. Yadav alleged. “Wherever the Congress and these parties are in power, OBCs are being discriminated against,” he claimed.
Mr. Yadav singled out the West Bengal government for its alleged favouritism towards Muslims and cited the NCBC report to assert that the State’s list of OBC quota beneficiaries included 108 Muslim castes in 2011 which surged to 179 after the Trinamool Congress came to power that year.
“Discriminating among OBCs on religious grounds is unheard of and is highly unjust,” he said. “Genuine OBCs are being discriminated against in the name of communal politics.”
Citing the NCBC report, Mr. Yadav said that in eight Rajasthan districts there was little reservation for OBCs and non-creamy layer certificate were not being issued to deserving candidates thus denying thousands of students of their rights.
“The OBC commission wrote to the State government to not include agriculture income to decide the creamy layer category as it has harmed the interests of eligible people,” he said. He alleged that agriculture income was being included in Bihar as well which was against the rules. In Punjab, OBCs were getting only 12% quota while they were entitled to 27% reservation, Mr. Yadav added.
“My question is why OBCs are being denied their due quota and benefits? It is their constitutional right. The NCBC communication to these States highlights that they are not serious about the progress of OBC students,” he said. The OBCs are politically the most important segment and number over 50% of the population in many States.
