Shimla: BJP chief J P Nadda on Tuesday claimed the governments of West Bengal, Rajasthan, Bihar and Punjab were depriving OBC communities of reservation in jobs, and accused Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee of favouring Muslims. Addressing a press conference in Bilaspur, Nadda said these non-BJP-ruled states are discriminating against the other backward classes (OBCs) as there is a gap in their preaching and practice.
In an apparent reference to Bihar, he said they launched a "caste census" but deprived the OBC communities of their rights. Citing the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), the BJP chief said, The states of West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan and Punjab, who claim to be benefactors of OBCs, are violating their right of reservation in jobs.
Lashing out at West Bengal chief minister Banerjee, Nadda said that 91.5 per cent people who got the benefit of reservation in the state are Muslims while the other backward classes were deprived of it. As man any as 179 castes were included in the OBC list, out of which 118 castes are of Muslim community and attempts are being made to give "OBC certificates to infiltrators from Bangladesh and Rohingyas", he alleged.
Nadda claimed that in 2011, there were 108 OBC communities which included 53 Muslim and 55 Hindu communities but after addition of 71 new castes, the number of Muslim OBCs shot to 118. Similarly, in Punjab the quota for OBCs is 25 per cent but only 12 per cent OBC communities are getting reservation benefit, while in Rajasthan seven districts have been declared as tribal districts with no reservation for OBCs, he said, and urged the NCBC to take necessary action.
The remarks by Nadda comes days after NCBC chairperson Hansraj Gangaram Ahir alleged "appeasement politics" in granting OBC status to communities in West Bengal, and said the state government should fix the "discrepancy" at the earliest. Addressing the media in New Delhi on June 8, Ahir said out 179 OBC castes in West Bengal, 118 of them belonged to the Muslim community. "Appeasement politics is behind granting OBC status to so many Muslim castes," the NCBC chief said.
Ahir also said that OBC reservations were not being implemented correctly in Rajasthan, Punjab and Bihar. Earlier, the BJP launched a 'Tiffin' drive to discuss achievements of the Modi government during which party workers of Jhandutta constituency brought their own lunch boxes and discussed the nine years of Modi government over community lunch. BJP chief Nadda, who was present on the occasion, said that such meetings would be held in all assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh.
Interacting with the workers, Nadda said that 1,121 lakh MT of foodgrains were distributed among 80 crore people to ensure food security, while farmers are being provided Rs 6,000 in three instalments. (PTI)
