Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJP in Odisha Tuesday said it is in favour of a quota for students of the socially and economically backwards class (SEBC) in medical, engineering and other technical institutions in the state, and 11.25 per cent of seats would soon be reserved for them.
The saffron party’s statement came a day before the opposition BJD is scheduled to organise a dharna demanding 27 per cent reservation of seats for the SEBC students.
The state government last week announced a reservation of 11.25 per cent in undergraduate and postgraduate courses in general colleges for the SEBC students in the state. However, there was no such provision of quota in the medical, engineering and other technical institutions.
Addressing a press conference here, Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal said that the party supports the reservation of seats for SEBC students in medical and engineering courses.
“We have suggested that the state government make provision of 11.25 per cent reservation for SEBC students in medical, engineering, technical courses and also in school education,” Samal told reporters.
He said that the party has taken up the matter with the state government and it will be implemented soon.
“The SEBC students in Odisha will get 11.25 per cent quota in all types of courses,” the BJP state president said.
Samal also charged the BJD and the Congress with not implementing the reservation of seats for SEBC students in Odisha when those parties were in power.
“The BJD and the Congress have no moral right to speak on the SEBC reservation. What was the BJD doing in the last 24 years (when it ruled Odisha)? It denied reservation for SEBC students on the plea of a court order,” he alleged.
Samal said that as the Supreme Court ruled that the caste based reservation ratio cannot cross 50 per cent, the state government has made provision of 11.25 per cent reservation for SEBC students.
He said the ST candidates get 22.25 per cent reservation, the SCs get 16.50 per cent. Therefore, the remaining 11.25 per cent seats meant for the SEBC students, he said.
“The BJP is committed to providing full constitutional rights to SEBCs,” Samal said.
Samal claimed that the late Biju Patnaik of Odisha was the first chief minister of the country who went to the Supreme Court against the reservation for backward classes.
“When the Mandal Commission report was presented in Parliament, Rajiv Gandhi, who was the leader of the opposition then, also opposed it. However, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mohan Majhi are taking one step after another for the upliftment of the backwards classes,” the state BJP president said.
He said that the Modi government is set to conduct a caste based census, and the Majhi government is providing reservation in jobs and education to other backwards classes.
“I call upon opposition parties not to mislead people,” he said.
Responding to Samal’s statement, senior BJD MLA and former minister Arun Kumar Sahoo said, “I am happy that the state’s BJP government has responded to the BJD’s call for an agitation and is ready to make reservation for SEBC in medical and engineering courses also. However, we demand a 27 per cent quota and not 11.25 per cent reservation for the SEBC students.”
Congress leader Srikant Jena also made a similar demand and pointed out that SEBCs constitute 54 per cent of the state’s population and should get a proportionate reservation.
PTI
