BJP accuses Naveen Patnaik government of denying reservation to OBC

BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Thursday, August 12, 2021, hit out at the State government for denying 27 pc reservation to the other backward classes (OBCs) in employment and education.

Coming down heavily on the ruling BJD, State BJP spokesperson Sonali Sahu said while many states have been providing 27 pc reservation to OBCs, only 11.25 pc of these categories of people are availing the benefit in government jobs but not in education. This is despite the announcement of the Narendra Modi government to provide 27 pc quota for OBCs and 10 for the economically weaker section (EWS) category in All India Quota (AIQ) Scheme for undergraduate and postgraduate medical/dental courses.

ALSO READ: BJD steps up demand for caste-based census

Even as the Mandal Commission report was implemented on August 7, 1990, the then Biju Patnaik government went to Supreme Court challenging the report. “Now the Naveen Patnaik government is following the footsteps of his father and not implementing the report under the plea that the Orissa High Court struck down the State government order as the quota limit is crossing the 50 pc ceiling. Who prevented the State government from approaching the SC on the matter when the future of 52 pc of the population of the State was in stake”, Sahu asked.

She said the government has data on OBC and SEBC on the basis of which, it is providing other welfare benefits to them. If the State has no quantifiable data on the two categories, it could collect the same from the Centre and provide 27 pc reservation to the OBC/SEBC in jobs and education, she suggested.