BHUBANESWAR: The BJD move for a survey of socially and economically backward classes (SEBCs) seems to be an attempt by the party to enhance its image within the community, whose number is perceived to be half of the state’s population.
The ruling dispensation had started the process a year back, when the Naveen Patnaik government had moved the Centre for a socio-economic caste enumeration along with the general census 2021. A month later, the state assembly also passed the Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes (amendment) legislation to empower the commission for backward classes to conduct the survey.
While Covid-19 stalled the process, the issue was back in the limelight at the BJD state council meeting, where a proposal was passed to conduct survey of SEBCs in the state and received the nod from the chief minister.
Even though elections in Odisha are not fought on caste equations, political analysts feel the BJD’s move might be an attempt to reach out to the backward classes.
“The BJD has created a loyal support base among various sections of the society by launching social welfare schemes in the past two decades. Though there has been no official enumeration in the recent past, OBCs seem to be around 54% of the total population. So, it might be a smart move by the ruling party to create a loyal support base among the backward classes,” said a political observer. There are around 209 communities identified as backward classes in the state.
Krushna Chandra Patra, former chairperson of the BJP OBC cell, however, termed the BJD move a political stunt. “Had they been serious about welfare of the backward classes, they would have given 27% quota to the OBC community,” said Patra.
Rubbishing the opposition charges, BJD general secretary Bijay Nayak said, “The survey is important to have reliable data about the community and to further accelerate inclusive growth. The last caste-based census was done almost 90 years back, in 1931. So, with century-old data, how can the government make proper planning,” Nayak said.