The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday (June 14) alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to communalise the situation in West Bengal ahead of the panchayat elections by pointing out that the list of OBCs (Other Backward Castes) in West Bengal has more Muslims than Hindus.
“With the Panchayat Election around the corner, BJP has picked up its communal bugle. Pitting one community against another, National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) Chairman and former @BJP4IndiaMP, @ahir_hansraj has accused the GoWB of depriving certain Backward Castes of their rights,” Trinamool Congress State general secretary and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said on twitter.
A number of BJP leaders, including party president J. P. Nadda, have accused the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal, among other states, of favouring Muslims in the OBC list.
There are 179 castes on the State list of backward classes of West Bengal, out of which 118 Muslim castes are on the State OBC list, while around 61 Hindu castes are on the list, chairman of National Commission for Backward Castes (NCBC) Hansraj Ahir had said earlier this month .
Several BJP leaders from West Bengal, including State president Sukanta Majumdar, have raised the issue stating that 91.5% reservation in Bengal has been given to Muslims, while OBCs and others have been denied their rights.
The Trinamool Congress spokesperson had pointed out that the NCBC Chairman needs to be told that the inclusion of any caste, Hindu or Muslim, in the State OBC list is done after consulting the Backward Classes Commission. “Moreover, a community’s higher representation in the State list doesn’t correlate with the population benefited,” Mr. Ghosh said.
A year after coming to power in 2011, the Mamata Banerjee government had in June 2012 passed a Bill in West Bengal Assembly whereby Muslims were included in the list of OBC who had 17 % reservation in government jobs and in higher education.
Demands for including Muslims in OBC category was raised during the Left regime particularly after the recommendations of Sachar Committee which had shown the socio- economic situation of the Muslim in West Bengal was not better than other social groups, including Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes. The Left Front government had also passed a similar Bill in the House which was allowed to lapse by the Trinamool government.
