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‘118 of 179 groups in Bengal OBC list are Muslim’ — Backward Classes panel probes ‘irregularity’

National Commission for Backward Classes received complaints that many Muslim groups included in Bengal OBC list are Bangladeshi migrants, says panel chair.

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New Delhi: The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) is inquiring into alleged irregularities in West Bengal’s Other Backward Classes (OBC) list on the back of complaints that Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh are cornering the benefits of reservation, the panel’s chairperson said Thursday. 

Addressing a press conference, NCBC chairperson Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said that of the 179 OBC groups included in the state list, 118 were from the Muslim community. “We have got several complaints and took up the matter with the state government in our review meeting during our state visit in February this year,” he said.

“We have received several complaints stating that many from the Muslim community included in the list are immigrants from Bangladesh. We are investigating the matter, as this has been done by depriving actual beneficiaries. We have sought a detailed response from the state government.”

West Bengal’s current reservation for OBCs stands at 17 per cent.

The state’s OBC list, Ahir said, is divided in two categories: Most Backward Class (Category A) and Backward Class (Category B). He added, “In the Most Backward Class category, there are a total of 81 communities, of which 73 are Muslim and eight are Hindu. In Category B, there 98 communities in total, of which 45 belong to the Muslim community and rest to the Hindu community. We are not against Muslims getting the benefit of reservation, but such irregularity can’t be accepted.”

ThePrint reached West Bengal’s Minister of State for Backward Classes Welfare, Bulu Chik Baraik, and the department’s secretary, Sanjay Bansal, for their response by phone, email, and text messages. This report will be updated when a response is received.  


Also Read: Under BJP, Muslims are becoming new ‘bottom’ of society. It’s a message for Dalits, OBCs


Non-adherence to OBC reservation policy

According the NCBC, West Bengal relies on reports by the Cultural Research Institute in Kolkata — which comes under the state government — while including communities in the state’s OBC list.

Ahir said that the commission had held two meetings with state government officials — the first during a visit to Bengal in February this year and the second last month. The panel highlighted the issue during the February meeting, he said. 

“They initially told us that these people were earlier Hindu and later converted to Islam. But when we asked for proof, the government, in a written response, said that they can’t prove it,” Ahir, who took charge of the commission in December last year, said.  

Ahir, a former Union minister, claimed he had reviewed OBC-related matters with 12 state governments and that many states — especially Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab and West Bengal — were not adhering to the reservation policy while recruiting for government jobs. 

“There are seven districts in Rajasthan where OBC reservation is zero despite a sizeable population living there. After we raised the matter with the state government, OBC certificates were issued. There were other issues that are not being addressed,” he said, adding that the commission has received proposals from Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Telangana for several communities to be included in the central lists and had initiated the process to take the proposals forward.

(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)


Also Read: Heat on Shivraj govt after SC orders local polls without OBC quota, BJP in damage control mode


 

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