BHUBANESWAR: The move of the state government to provide 11.25 per cent reservation in higher education for socially and educationally backwards classes (SEBC) students has drawn a huge backlash from the Opposition as well as the OBC population for leaving medical, technical and professional courses out of its purview.
The BJD and Congress on Thursday charged the BJP government of betraying the OBCs who constitute 54 per cent of the state’s population.
“The state government’s reservation policy for OBC/SEBC students is a cruel joke. Announcement of the the cabinet decision by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi for providing 11.25 per cent reservation for SEBC in higher education excluding medical, engineering and other professional courses is a complete betrayal of the 54 per cent of the population,” said senior Congress leader and former Union minister Srikant Jena.
Debunking the state government’s argument that it cannot exceed the 50 per cent cap on reservation put by the Supreme Court, Jena, a strong votary for OBC quota, said quantum of reservation is derived from Article -16 of the Constitution.
Quoting Article 16 (4) of the Constitution, Jena said, “Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any backward class of citizens which, in the opinion of the State, is not adequately represented in the services under the State.”
He said the case of Odisha is exceptional in view of its higher percentage of ST, SC and OBC population in comparison to the national average and other states. The ST and SC population of the state is 40 per cent as against all India average of 22 per cent. The national OBC population is 52 per cent while it is more than 54 per cent in Odisha.
Besides, the 50 per cent cap fixed by the apex court in Indra Sawhney case in 1992 was in the matter of initial recruitment to public employment, not higher education, he added.
Acknowledging that previous governments have done great injustice to the OBC population of the state, senior leader and former Law minister Narasingha Mishra said the state had never put its case before the Supreme Court in the right earnest so far as giving 27 per cent reservation to SEBC/OBC in jobs and education is concerned.
“If the ST and SC categories can get proportionate reservation of 22.5 per cent and 16.26 per cent respectively in terms of their population, the demand for 27 per cent reservation for OBCs which is 50 per cent of their population is justified. It is for the government to find a solution to the legal issues,” Mishra said.
The central educational institutions (except minority institutions) including IITs, NITs, IIM, IIITs have been providing 27 per cent reservation to OBCs from 2015-16. The All India Quota (AIQ) seats in medical and dental colleges were implemented from 2021-22.