BHUBANESWAR: Chairman of National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) Bhagwan Lal Sahni on Wednesday criticised the State Government for its apathy towards the backward community.
“I have learned that the people of Other Backward Classes (OBC) are deprived of their rights. Though the OBC comprise 54 pc of the total population of Odisha, the State Government has given 11.25 pc reservation to OBCs in job alone against their due of 27 pc,” Sahni told reporters here.
The State Government should follow the policy of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka that have 50 pc reservation for OBC, he said.Expressing displeasure for not extending reservation benefits to OBCs in education, Sahni said he will take up the issue with the State Government. He also came down heavily on the Government for not appointing the chairperson of OBC in the State.
Apart from OBC representatives, a delegation of the State BJP leaders also met Sahni and urged him to direct the State Government to provide 27 pc reservation to the backward classes in education and jobs.
The BJP delegation said many states have crossed the 50 pc threshold to provide reservation to OBCs. If the previous BJP government in Maharashtra could provide 16 pc reservation to Marathi people taking the total quota to 63 pc, what is preventing the BJD Government, asked BJP leader Surath Biswal.
Convenor of Social Justice Front, Odisha Rabi Behera met the NCBC chairman and requested him for inclusion of a column in the Census format for caste census of OBCs that was rejected by the Centre.
Earlier in the day, Sahni met Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy and DGP Abhay. Responding to Sahni’s remark, the BJD wondered how NCBC was not aware of the fact that the State Government had made reservations for OBC community in accordance with law and as per the directive of Supreme Court.