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NEW DELHI: Alleging discrepancies in the granting of OBC status under the state list in West Bengal, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) chairperson Hansraj Ahir said that out of 179 OBC groups in the Bengal state list, 118 belong to the Muslim community. He said there have also been complaints that Bangladeshi immigrants and some Rohingyas have been included in Bengal’s OBC list. The NCBC is probing the matter and have asked the state to fix the problem, he said.
“Appeasement politics is behind granting OBC status to so many Muslim castes,” the NCBC chief said while adding that going by the complaints, it has been concluded that the entire exercise of granting OBC status has not been done in a responsible manner. “The Commission has held meetings and also written to the state to correct this,” Ahir said.
He said OBC communities in Bengal have been divided into category A and B. In category A, more number of backward castes are listed, of which 90% are Muslim castes, he claimed. In category B, which has less benefits, 54% are Hindu castes, he added.
Ahir said that under category A admissions in medical colleges, 91.5% were found to be Muslims and 8.5% Hindus. The NCBC chief said till 2011, total OBC castes in Bengal stood at 108, of which 53 were Muslim communities and 55 were Hindu. But after 2011, the total castes in the OBC list shot up to 179, and the fresh 71 additions included 65 Muslim castes and six Hindu castes. As per a statement by the NCBC, a report by the government-run Cultural Research Institute has said a large number of Hindu people in Bengal have converted to Islam. “In fact, Bangladeshi Muslims who have come to India have also been included in the OBC list,” it alleged.
It further that while Bengal neither recognises nor includes Qureshi Muslims in their state OBC list, it has sent a proposal to the NCBC seeking their inclusion in the central OBC list. Ahir also said OBC reservations were not being implemented correctly in some other states like Rajasthan, Punjab and Bihar. Ahir said there are seven districts in Rajasthan which do not give any reservation to the OBCs. “In Bihar too, there were issues related to the Kurmi community which we are resolving.”
“Appeasement politics is behind granting OBC status to so many Muslim castes,” the NCBC chief said while adding that going by the complaints, it has been concluded that the entire exercise of granting OBC status has not been done in a responsible manner. “The Commission has held meetings and also written to the state to correct this,” Ahir said.
He said OBC communities in Bengal have been divided into category A and B. In category A, more number of backward castes are listed, of which 90% are Muslim castes, he claimed. In category B, which has less benefits, 54% are Hindu castes, he added.
Ahir said that under category A admissions in medical colleges, 91.5% were found to be Muslims and 8.5% Hindus. The NCBC chief said till 2011, total OBC castes in Bengal stood at 108, of which 53 were Muslim communities and 55 were Hindu. But after 2011, the total castes in the OBC list shot up to 179, and the fresh 71 additions included 65 Muslim castes and six Hindu castes. As per a statement by the NCBC, a report by the government-run Cultural Research Institute has said a large number of Hindu people in Bengal have converted to Islam. “In fact, Bangladeshi Muslims who have come to India have also been included in the OBC list,” it alleged.
It further that while Bengal neither recognises nor includes Qureshi Muslims in their state OBC list, it has sent a proposal to the NCBC seeking their inclusion in the central OBC list. Ahir also said OBC reservations were not being implemented correctly in some other states like Rajasthan, Punjab and Bihar. Ahir said there are seven districts in Rajasthan which do not give any reservation to the OBCs. “In Bihar too, there were issues related to the Kurmi community which we are resolving.”
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