Despite Centre’s reluctance, Maharashtra BJP pushes for OBC census

Amend Constitution to hold it, Prime Minister Modi urged

Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)–led Central government remains uncommitted on OBC census, the party’s Maharashtra unit wants constitutional amendment to conduct it on the lines of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.

Former State Energy minister and OBC leader from Vidarbha, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, said on Sunday, “No government since 1950 has carried out OBC census. It is important that it is held. We request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to amend the Constitution and ensure census of the OBCs on the lines of the SCs and STs.” He was speaking at a public meeting in Nagpur district organised by OBC organisations which had invited OBC leaders of all parties including the BJP and the Congress.

The Assembly has already passed a resolution, moved by the then Speaker Nana Patole, recommending OBC census to the Centre. Mr. Patole, who is now State Congress president, also present at the programme and voiced concern about the ongoing privatisation of government companies saying it will end reservations altogether.   

Mr. Bawankule said the OBCs must unitedly come forward and demand political reservation. “The community must come together to demand political reservation. We all must demand this by keeping our respective political affiliations aside.”

His statement comes at a time when political reservation for the OBCs in Maharashtra’s civic bodies is scrapped by the Supreme Court. All political parties in the State have unanimously passed a resolution to not hold elections to local bodies until the reservation is restored. The apex court has rejected the interim report filed by the Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes (MSCBC) citing it was prepared in the absence of empirical data and asked authorities concerned not to act on it. The report had recommended 27% reservation for the OBCs in local civic bodies.