BHUBANESWAR: A day after the State Government constituted the Backward Classes Commission, former Union Minister Srikant Jena on Thursday demanded implementation of Mandal Commission recommendations, provision of 38.5 per cent reservation for SCs and STs and 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in Odisha. In a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Jena criticised him for constituting the Backward Class Commission after 25 years.
“This shows your commitment for the welfare of 54 per cent people of the State,” he said. Jena said during the last 20 years, the Government has failed to provide adequate and proportionate reservation to SCs, STs and OBCs in job and education. “Because of neglect during the last 20 years, thousands of students from the backward classes have failed to become doctors and engineers,” he added.