Page 2 - Obc Quota

OBC leaders should seek quota for Dhangar community: Manoj Jarange

Activist Manoj Jarange on Monday said the OBC leaders should focus on seeking reservation for the Dhangar community under the ST category instead of criticising the demand for Maratha quota. Speaking to reporters here, Jarange said the OBC leaders are "not our enemies" and Marathas would support the demand for reservation to the Dhangar (shepherd) community under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. On June 13, Jarange suspended his indefinite fast over the Maratha quota, six days after launching it, and set a deadline of one month before the Maharashtra government to accept the community's demands. He made the announcement after Maharashtra minister and member of Maratha quota sub-committee Shambhuraj Desai and Shiv Sena MP Sandipan Bhumare met him at his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district and discussed the issue. Some leaders from the Other Backward Classes have opposed the Maratha quota under the OBC category. In February this year, the Maharashtra legislature ...

INDIA bloc standing together in looting reservation of SC, ST, OBC: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday vowed to staunchly defend the reservation for ST, SC and OBC categories against any attempt by the INDIA bloc parties "to snatch it away" and give it to Muslims. "I will not allow this game to be played on the basis of religion. Modi is the watchman of the rights of the deprived people ('vanchito kaa jo adhikaar hai, Modi usskaa chowkidaar hai')," the prime minister said at an election rally in Ghazipur. Hitting out at the INDIA bloc parties, Modi accused them of being "extremely communal, casteist and dynastic". "They have always stopped Dalits and backwards in the country from moving ahead. Who insulted Babasaheb (B R Ambedkar)? Who hatched a conspiracy to defeat him in the election? It was the Congress. Who did not allow Babasaheb to get Bharat Ratna? The Congress party," he said. Modi said the opposition parties insulted former president Ram Nath Kovind, "son of a Dalit", and got together against Droupadi Murmu, a tribal, in the ...

Calcutta HC scraps all OBC certificates issued after 2010 in Bengal

Slamming the court's ruling, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the OBC reservation quota introduced by the West Bengal government will continue

NCBC recommends raising reservation quota for OBCs in Bengal, Punjab

The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has recommended an increase in the reservation quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in public employment in Punjab and West Bengal. The Commission's decision comes after a review of the current reservation policies, oral statements, and documentary evidence, aiming to align with the directives laid out by the Supreme Court in the Indra Sawhney case, according to an advisory. Currently, Punjab allocates 25 per cent of public employment positions to Scheduled Castes and 12 per cent to OBCs, totalling 37 per cent reservation. The NCBC has proposed enhancing the OBC quota by an additional 13 per cent, bringing the total OBC reservation in public employment to 25 per cent. This adjustment will adhere to the Supreme Court's ceiling of up to 50 per cent reservation for socially and educationally backward classes. D K Tiwari, Additional Chief Secretary of the Punjab Government, appeared before the NCBC on February 22, expressing the .

Congress, JMM, RJD want to rob reservation of tribals, OBCs: PM Modi

The Prime Minister asserted that he would not allow any party to tamper with the Constitution

LS elections: INDIA bloc govt will uplift OBCs, SCs, STs, says MK Stalin

DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday expressed confidence of the INDIA bloc winning the Lok Sabha polls and said the new dispensation will fulfill the pledge to uplift Other Backward Classes, the Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Tamil Nadu has played a pivotal role in championing social justice, Stalin said in his address at the social justice conference (Samajik Nyay Sammelan) held by Samruddha Bharat Foundation in the national capital on Wednesday. The Chief Minister's address was read out at the conference by DMK Rajya Sabha MP, P Wilson. The DMK chief recalled the era of the Justice Party government, dating back to 1921 and said it stands as a beacon of social justice with the introduction of reservations for the underprivileged through the communal G.O (Government Order). Post-independence, "amidst threats to the reservation system," the resolute protests by the Dravidian movement, famously known as "the happenings in Madras," catalysed the first ...

Cong against OBC, BJP will not let anyone do away with reservation: Shah

Accusing the Congress of being against the Other Backward Classes, Union Home Minister Amit Shah Saturday said even if the opposition party wants to do away with the reservation given to SC, ST and OBCs, the BJP will not allow that to happen. Prime Minister Narendra Modi belongs to the OBC community, he said, adding that it was Modi who implemented schemes for people of small backward classes. Shah was addressing an election rally in support of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the BJP's candidate and sitting MP from the Kota Lok Sabha seat. "Even if the Congress party wants to remove SC, ST and OBC reservation... we will not allow it. This is Modi's guarantee," he asserted. The Congress is a party which opposes Other Backward Classes (OBC), Shah alleged. "The Congress government did not implement the Mandal Commission report. During a discussion in Parliament on reservation, Rahul baba's father Rajiv Gandhi spoke against it for two-and-a-half hours," he claimed. Shah said Modi worked

Caste census, economic mapping will 'uproot' 50% reservation cap: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday underlined his party's resolve to conduct a caste census if voted to power, asserting that based on this right step along with economic mapping, the 50 per cent cap on reservation would be "uprooted". Gandhi said the Congress' slogan is "count" because that would be the first step towards justice. In a post in Hindi on X, the former Congress president said, "Have we ever wondered who is poor? How many are there and in what condition? Is it not necessary to count all this?" The caste survey conducted in Bihar revealed that 88 per cent of the poor population comes from Dalit, tribal, backward and minority communities, Gandhi said. "The figures from Bihar are just a small glimpse of the real picture of the country, we do not even have an idea in what condition the poor population of the country is living in," he said. "That is why we are going to take two historic steps -- caste census, economic mapping -- on the basis of which we will uproot

Amit Shah to visit Bihar today, address public meeting of BJP's OBC morcha

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be in Bihar on Saturday to inaugurate the memorial of a veteran BJP leader and address a public meeting of the party's OBC Morcha. According to state BJP spokesperson Manoj Sharma, upon arrival here, Shah will go to the Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI) on the outskirts of Patna. "A park named after late Kailashpati Mishra has been developed on two acres of land donated by ATARI. The home minister will inaugurate the park and unveil a statue of the late leader," said the BJP spokesman. Mishra was a senior leader of the Jana Sangh who served as a minister in the Bihar government headed by Karpoori Thakur, and later, became the BJP's first state president. After the function, Shah will leave for Paliganj where he will address a public meeting to be organised by the BJP OBC Morcha. The party's OBC Morcha president K Laxman said the programme at Paliganj is part of the "10,000 samajik sammelans" that the organisation will

MVA leaders stage protest, accuse Maha govt of misleading Marathas, OBCs

Legislators of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi staged a protest on Monday before the start of the Budget session of the Maharashtra legislative assembly, accusing the government of misleading the Maratha and Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities. The week-long Budget session of the legislature began on Monday, during which the vote on account will be presented. Assembly elections are due in the state later this year. Leader of Opposition in Assembly Vijay Waddetiwar, Congress legislature party leader Balasaheb Thorat and other legislators gathered on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan, displaying banners and shouting slogans against the Eknath Shinde-led government. The Opposition MLAs accused the state government of misleading the Maratha and OBC communities over the issue of quota. MVA comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, while the ruling coalition has the BJP, Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP group under Ajit Pawar as partners. Last week, the

Dalits, OBCs, tribals biggest beneficiaries of pro-poor schemes: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that Dalits, OBCs and tribals are the biggest beneficiaries of his government's pro-poor schemes, asserting that its greatest achievement in the past ten years is to pull 25 crore people out of poverty. Speaking after inaugurating and laying the foundation stones of 1.3 lakh houses under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY), via video conference, Modi said that for any poor person having his own house is a guarantee of his better future. See the figure of 1.3 lakh houses. Even when I attended a national-level programme for giving houses under PMAY, I did not see such a huge figure. I congratulate the Gujarat government. For any poor person, having his own house is a guarantee of his better future, Modi said. The biggest beneficiaries of our government's pro-poor scheme are Dalits, OBCs (other backward castes) and tribals, Modi said, responding to the opposition's allegations that his government is ignoring SCs, STs and OBCs. Modi said

Cong govt in Guj included PM Modi's caste in OBC list in 1994: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said it is very unfortunate that there is a debate on the caste of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has a habit of telling lies publicly and repeating those thereafter. Shah also said it was a Congress government in Gujarat that included Modi's caste in the list of Other Backward Classes (OBC) in 1994 and the Centre included the prime minister's caste in its OBC list in 2000. "Modi's caste was listed in Gujarat as OBC on July 25, 1994. At that time, the chief minister of Gujarat was Chhabildas Mehta and the party in power was the Congress. Till that time, Modi had not contested a single election. He used to work for the organisation only. The question of his caste did not come at all. "Subsequently, the Gujarat government recommended for the inclusion of his caste in the central OBC list. It was finally included in the central OBC list in 2000. At that time also, Modi was not in a position of power -

PM Modi's caste wasn't in Mandal Commission's OBC list: Ashok Gehlot

Gehlot further said if PM Modi considers himself as the biggest supporter of the OBC community, then he should have a nationwide caste census conducted at the earliest

What has PM Modi done for backward castes, asks Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha

Manoj Jha told ANI that PM Modi and his party have been unsuccessful in strengthening the backward classes in the country

Bill to provide OBC quota in J&K local bodies introduced in Lok Sabha

The Centre on Monday introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to provide reservation to Other Backward Classes in local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir. Currently, there is no provision for reservation of seats for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in panchayats and municipalities in the Union territory. The aim of the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 is to uphold principles of fairness and inclusivity in local governance, thereby addressing long-standing disparities and ensuring justice for OBC citizens. "With this,...justice will be ensured to the citizens of Other Backward Classes of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time after 75 years of independence," according to the statement of objects and reasons of the bill. The bill says that in future all local body polls will be conducted by a State Election Commission consisting of a State Election Commissioner, instead of the Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir. The bill says the State Election Commissioner shall

Minister Chhagan Bhujbal's resignation not accepted: Deputy CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the resignation of senior OBC leader and state cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal has not been accepted. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be able to clarify on this, Fadnavis told reporters late Saturday night. Bhujbal, who has accused the Maharashtra government of facilitating "backdoor entry" of the Maratha community into the quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), on Saturday said he resigned from the state cabinet on November 16 last year. He further said that he kept quiet for more than two months because the chief minister and the deputy CM asked him not to speak about it. Talking to reporters, Fadnavis said, "The chief minister will be able to clarify on this, but I can only say as of now that Bhujbal's resignation has not been accepted by the chief minister or me." Bhujbal, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP, on Saturday reiterated that he is not opposed to Marathas getting the reservation b

It's backdoor entry of Marathas into OBC category: Bhujbal targets own govt

Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Saturday appeared to target his own government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as he questioned the "backdoor entry" of Marathas into the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community. He also termed the draft notification issued by the state government providing Kunbi certificates to all Marathas as a mere "eyewash", and said caste is determined by birth and not affidavits. The veteran OBC leader was talking to reporters here after Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange called off his indefinite fast in neighbouring Navi Mumbai this morning after the state government accepted his demands over reservation to his community. The state government issued a draft notification this morning to recognise as Kunbis all blood relatives of the Maratha community members whose Kunbi caste records have been found. Kunbi, an agrarian community, falls in the OBC category. Jarange had been demanding Kunbi certificates for all Marathas. Bhujbal, the food and civil

OBC reservation commission submits report to CM Dhami at his residence

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said that the tenure of the expert committee preparing the draft of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for the state has been extended by 15 days

No 'vertical' reservation on lines of SC, ST, OBC for LGBTQs: Ex-CJI Lalit

Former Chief Justice of India U U Lalit on Thursday said the LGBTQ community is not entitled to claim "vertical" reservations like those given to the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), or Economically Weaker Section (EWS). He, however, said they may claim "horizontal" reservation on the lines of the ones for women and persons with disabilities. Justice Lalit, who retired as the 49th CJI in November 2022, was answering a query during the question and answer session after delivering a special lecture on 'ffirmative Action and Constitution of India' at the India International University of Legal Education and Research (IIULER) here. When asked whether the LGBTQ community will ever come under the ambit of constitutional affirmative action/reservation, he said, "Theoretically yes, but if I give the counter argument, not to belittle the idea, but to see that my birth in a community like SC, ST or OBC is something beyond my capacity while sexual ...

Eastern Zonal Council meet: Nitish demands for special status to Bihar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday raised before Union Home Minister Amit Shah his long-standing demand for grant of special category status to the state. At the 26th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council here, chaired by Shah, Kumar also hoped that the Centre will consider the request for placing in the ninth schedule of the Constitution the state's recent legislations by which quotas for deprived castes were raised from 50 per cent to 65 per cent. The Ninth Schedule of the Constitution includes a list of Central and state laws that cannot be challenged in courts. In 1992, the Supreme Court capped reservations for the backward classes at 50 per cent. "The CM urged the Centre to accord special status to Bihar in the meeting. Bihar has been raising the issue of Special status to the state since 2010. The fresh demand was necessitated by findings of the caste survey carried out by the grand alliance government in the state," a CMO statement said. "The state government has ...