Call for caste-based census over reservation limits sparks debate in Odisha

A growing call for a caste-based census has emerged in Odisha to identify economically and educationally disadvantaged groups among the populace. Major political parties in the State voiced on Thursday in support of a move by the Central government in this regard.

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There are proposals to increase the reservation limit beyond the existing 50 percent for Other Backward Classes (OBC), a demand driven by Biju Janata Dal (BJD). It said it has long advocated raising educational reservations specifically for the OBCs and prioritising the economically weaker sections. Proportional representation in reservation based on population as well as demographics is also among the suggestions being debated by the party.

What Opposition parties voice for?

With the Central government’s recent approval for a caste-based census, the Opposition BJD has expressed support for this decision while reiterating its longstanding demands.

“They (the BJP-led Central government) made the announcement yesterday, but the modalities will come at a subsequent time, and then we will review those. However, we demand that socio-economic and educational backwardness should be taken into account when deciding on reservation,” BJD leader, Arun Sahoo, stated in a presser.

“The amount of socio-economic and educational privileges accorded to the SC, ST, and OBC categories of people and how much of the population has been deprived should clearly be considered by the government for survey,” BJD’s Sahoo expressed.

The Congress party has also echoed similar demands, criticising the government for taking over a decade to reach this decision. “Rahul Gandhi has been vocal in his advocacy for such a census. Initially, leaders from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had dismissed Rahul Gandhi's arguments, but recent changes in stance suggest a shift in their perspective,” OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das said.

“This should not remain a mere ‘announcement’ and rather properly be implemented. If we see in the context of Odisha, the OBC population is around 54 percent, but the reservation given to them for recruitment is only 11.27 percent,” Bhakta Das remarked.

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“Reservation for them in the education sector is entirely ‘zero’. What sort of an irony is this?” the OPCC chief questioned.