BHUBANESWAR: A day after Bihar BJP gave its consent to Nitish Kumar's call for an all-party meeting on proposed caste census on June 1 in Patna, BJD Rajya Sabha member Amar Patnaik said the party is keen to conduct caste census in Odisha but would prefer one by the Centre across the country.
Patnaik said since the caste enumeration data is a prerequisite to ensure reservation for backward class citizens following the Supreme Court's December 2020 order, the central government would be in a better position to do it. "Without a caste census, reservation is not possible. Odisha government had earlier approached the Centre for caste census. We once again reiterate our demand," the BJD leader said in New Delhi, day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar demanded caste based national census.
When contacted by TOI, Patnaik said, "The Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes (OSCBC) had already decided to conduct the caste survey in May last year. However, the same had to be postponed due to Covid. The dates will now be reworked unless the Centre does it."
The SC in December 2020 had laid stress on triple tests - constitution of a backward class commission, rigorous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of backwardness and proportion of reservation subject to overall quota not exceeding 50% - as precondition for any backward class reservation in local body polls.
Sources said Odisha is planning to renew the survey, which could not be done last year, in view of recent developments. Following the Supreme Court's May 18 nod for OBC quota in local body elections in Madhya Pradesh, after it complied with the triple tests, Odisha feels a survey by the OSCBC will be able to ensure the state's conformity to the triple tests. This would bring the state in a position to offer quota to the backward class citizens. A member of the OSCBC commission said it may plan new dates for caste survey after the cooperative body election, scheduled on June 19 and 26.
