BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Thursday reiterated its demand for a caste-based census in the state for all-round development of 54 per cent backward class people of Odisha.
Accusing the state BJP of having an anti-OBC mentality, BJD Rajya Sabha members Sasmit Patra and Subhashish Khuntia during a media conference here, said it has neglected the interests of those who comprise more than half of the population of the state. “There is no reservation for students belonging to the other backward classes (OBC) communities in medical, engineering and other educational institutions,” the BJD MPs pointed out adding, in jobs too, the OBCs have 11.25 per cent reservation.
Keeping in view the large-scale disparities, the state BJP government should act immediately to set right the discrimination of such a large section of the state’s population, they said.
“Before the elections, the state BJP was pressurising the previous BJD government on the issue of welfare of the OBCs but after coming to power in the state, it has forgotten the matter altogether,” the MPs alleged.
Claiming that the BJD had always fought for the welfare of the downtrodden, they alleged that the BJP governments in the state as well as the Centre are giving no attention to their needs.
Seeking immediate steps to undertake caste-based census in the state, the BJD MPs said the number of people belonging to backward class communities has to be determined for formulating welfare programmes for them. They demanded that the BJP government support the issue and also take necessary steps to lift the ceiling on 50 per cent reservation.
The BJD leaders further pointed out that the Cabinet, during the erstwhile BJD government, had passed a resolution in January 2020 for a caste-based census and approved a proposal for amendment of Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 for which an unanimous resolution was passed in the state Assembly.