BJP-led Odisha Government Announces 11.25% Reservation for OBCs in Education
The BJP-led Odisha government has announced a 11.25% reservation for the socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs) in state-run higher educational institutions. This move comes a fortnight after the Centre announced the enumeration of castes in the upcoming population census. The Majhi government’s decision is seen as an attempt to counter the increasing pressure from the Opposition parties, the BJD and the Congress, who are demanding rights for the backward and deprived classes.
The Odisha higher education minister, Suryabanshi Suraj, stated that the BJP government has ensured social justice by extending reservation to the backward classes in education. He emphasized that the Constitution of India guarantees rights to the backward classes, but these rights remained unfulfilled in the past. The government has ensured a 11.25% reservation for OBC students in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling on caste-based reservations.
The reservation for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities in Odisha is 16.25% and 22.5%, respectively. The Majhi government’s decision has put the principal Opposition BJD on the back foot, which has criticized it as an "eyewash," claiming that the move would not benefit the SEBCs much.
Despite the caste factor not dominating Odisha politics, the BJD has been trying to seize on the issue for its resurgence. With the OBCs making up 54% of the state’s population, the BJD is intensifying its efforts to champion their cause. The BJD has been vocal on the social justice issue, with party MPs meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah in August 2021 to demand a caste census.
The BJP, however, hailed the decision as a "historic move" towards social justice, planning "mass outreach programmes to take its message across the state." The BJP said it would also "expose how the BJD deprived the backward classes of their constitutional rights."
The BJD’s criticism has also been echoed by Congress leader and ex-Union minister Srikant Jena, who called the state government’s move a "cruel joke." He said the announcement by the Chief Minister declaring 11.25% reservation for OBCs in higher education but excluding technical courses like medical, engineering, and other professional education is a complete betrayal of the 54% OBC/SEBC students and youth.
The BJP, however, hailed the decision as a "historic move" towards social justice, planning "mass outreach programmes to take its message across the state." The BJP said it would also "expose how the BJD deprived the backward classes of their constitutional rights."
