BJP national president JP Nadda on Tuesday claimed that the Opposition parties, especially those in power in states, only pretend to be in favour of the interests of the other backward classes (OBCs). He said that these parties were openly violating the rights of the OBCs. Nadda accused the governments of West Bengal, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Punjab of denying OBC communities reservations in terms of job opportunities. He criticized the gap between their words and actions in supporting OBCs. Nadda specifically mentioned Bihar, where a "caste census" was launched but failed to protect the rights of OBC communities, reported news agency PTI.
"The opposition government in Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Punjab are openly violating the constitutional rights of OBC. These governments have remained in favour of the caste census. These opposition parties who talk about the backward class and their rights are actually not supporting it," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Referring to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), Nadda stated that the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Punjab, who claim to be champions of OBCs, are actually violating their rights to job reservations. He criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, stating that 91.5% of those benefiting from reservation in the state are Muslims, while OBCs are being deprived of this privilege. "The National Commission for Backward Classes’ report has uncovered an alarming issue which states that the governments of Bengal, Bihar, Punjab and Rajasthan are robbing the OBC community of their constitutional right of reservation,” he said.
Nadda alleged that out of the 179 castes included in the OBC list, 118 castes belong to the Muslim community. He also said that attempts are being made to facilitate "OBC certificates for infiltrators from Bangladesh and Rohingyas".
Nadda highlighted the significant increase in Muslim OBCs from 53 to 118 after the addition of 71 new castes in 2011. He also pointed out discrepancies in Punjab, where only 12% of OBC communities benefit from the 25% quota, and in Rajasthan, where seven districts have been declared tribal districts with no reservation for OBCs. Nadda called upon the NCBC to take appropriate action in these cases.
These remarks by Nadda come shortly after NCBC chairperson Hansraj Gangaram Ahir criticized the granting of OBC status to Muslim castes in West Bengal, accusing it of appeasement politics. Ahir also stated that OBC reservations were not being properly implemented in Rajasthan, Punjab, and Bihar.
Earlier, the BJP launched a 'Tiffin pe Charcha' campaign to discuss the achievements of the Modi government. During this event, party workers from the Jhandutta constituency brought their own lunch boxes and discussed the nine years of the Modi government over a community lunch. Nadda, who was present at the event, announced that similar meetings would be held in all assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh. He highlighted the distribution of 1,121 lakh MT of food grains to ensure food security for 80 crore people and the provision of Rs 6,000 in three instalments to farmers.
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