BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has come in for sharp criticism from the opposition BJP and Congress for his sudden concern towards the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and Other Backward Classes after being in power for 20 years.
Addressing media persons here on Monday State BJP general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan said “Odisha is the only State which has deprived a vast majority of the population by not implementing the recommendations of Mandal Commission that prescribed 27 per cent reservation for OBCs and SEBCs in employment and educational institutions. This demonstrates that BJD does not want development of backward classes.”
Coming down heavily on the State Government for keeping the post of OBC Commission chairperson vacant for the last 20 years, Harichandan said the Chief Minister should explain to the people why the Commission is headless and why only 11.25 pc reservation is given in place of 27 pc.
The OBC Commission is responsible for making recommendations on inclusion and exclusion of various communities under OBC category and to protect their constitutional rights. It shows that the State Government is least bothered about the development of OBC, Harichandan said.
Alleging that the OBC communities are deprived of a number of welfare schemes on the pretext that there is no quantifiable data with the Government, the BJP leader said it is only to mislead the people.
When the State Government is selecting beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) for housing assistance and National Food Security Act (NFSA) for food security as per the 2011 Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC) data, the same database could be used for extending reservation in jobs and educational institutions.
Accusing the State Government of manipulating SECC 2011 data during selection of beneficiaries to accommodate party workers, Harichandan said the beneficiary list for PMAY has to be revised following objection from the BJP.
The Panchayati Raj department had to direct district collectors to revise the list by removing 13.25 lakh beneficiaries from the list of 27 lakh. Similarly, the over 18 lakh ineligible beneficiaries were deleted from the NFSA list, he added.
Responding to the allegations, BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra blamed the Centre for not releasing the 2011 SECC data. He said the State Government wants a fresh census on OBC and SEBC to enable it to prepare developmental programmes for people belonging to the two categories. The Opposition should support the State Government on the issue.