SHIMLA/BILASPUR- With BJP’s "saffron agenda"  having higher up in his Mind for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP National President Jagat Prakash Nadda charged at a press conference held today at Bilaspur that a report by the National Commission for Backward Classes has  exposed violation of constitutional rights and reservation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Punjab.

Interestingly these states are ruled by BJP’s political opponents- Mamata Banerjee(Trinamool Congress)   in West Bengal, Nitish Kumar( Janata Dal United)  in Bihar, an erstwhile BJP ally, Congress  Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan and Bhagwant Mann( AAP) in Punjab.      

Taking BJP’s agenda of its “saffron politics of polarization” further, Nadda accused opposition parties in these states of openly disregarding the interests of OBCs, despite portraying themselves as sympathizers of the backward classes.

They all are advocating for caste census. These states have undermined the OBC reservation system, he charged.

Taking a swipe at the opposition parties, Nadda claimed that they have double standards when it comes to OBCs.

They pretend to support their cause while working against their interests, which is nothing less than a conspiracy,  he charged.

Nadda specifically targeted the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal, accusing it of appeasing Muslims by providing OBC reservations solely to them, thus denying legitimate rights to other backward class communities.

He stated that 91.5% of the OBC reservation benefits in Bengal have been allocated to Muslim, OBCs, while the rights of other communities remain unaddressed, referring to the Hindu community.

 Nadda cited figures saying that out of “179 recorded OBC castes in Bengal, 118 belong to the Muslim community”.

He alleged that certificates were being issued to Bangladeshi infiltrators and Rohingyas to grant them caste reservation benefits, which he labeled as a grave conspiracy to directly benefit infiltrators.

Nadda also slammed the reservation scenario in Rajasthan, Punjab, and Bihar.

He stated that OBCs in Bihar are being denied certificates, while Punjab has a 25% OBC reservation but only 12% of OBC individuals are receiving its benefits, leaving 13% without their rightful entitlements.

In Rajasthan, seven districts declared as tribal areas are being deprived of OBC benefits. Nadda alleged.

Nadda called for a thorough investigation by the OBC Commission to ensure justice for all backward class communities affected by these violations.

He criticized Mamata Banerjee and the opposition parties, accusing them of making empty promises and failing to deliver on their words.