Backwardness only benchmark to decide OBC status, not religion: Mamata

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday told the state Assembly that backwardness is the only benchmark to decide the OBC status of people.

Maintaining that a disinformation campaign is continuing on social media by some quarters, she asserted that there is no connection with religion in deciding the inclusion of any person in the OBC category.

Noting that the only benchmark for deciding OBC status in the state is backwardness, Banerjee said that a commission set up by the government is holding a survey on 50 new subsections for inclusion in that category.

The chief minister said that 49 subsections have been included under the OBC-A and 91 under OBC-B categories.

She said that while more backward sections of people have been included under OBC-A, the less backward people come under OBC-B.

The CM addressed the House after laying the annual report of the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes for the financial year 2024-25.

Banerjee said all inclusions have been done after extensive field surveys, and on the basis of recommendations by the commission.

The chief minister said that a May 22, 2024 order of the Calcutta High Court struck down the OBC status of several categories in West Bengal granted since 2010.

The state government has appealed against the order before the Supreme Court, she said. Banerjee also said that the West Bengal government started working with the permission of the apex court for inclusion in the OBC list.

She said as per the Calcutta High Court's direction, a public notification was issued for the purpose of inclusion in the OBC category in the state.

Following the completion of forming the OBC category list, recruitment processes in various state government institutions can be started again, Banerjee stated.

"All inclusions were done by the state government only on the recommendation of the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes," she said.

The Calcutta High Court had in May 2024 struck down the Other Backward Classes (OBC) status of several classes in West Bengal granted since 2010, finding such reservations to vacancies in services and posts in the state illegal.

The court struck down 77 classes of reservation granted between April 2010 and September 2010, and 37 classes created based on the state's reservation act of 2012.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front was in power in West Bengal till May 2011.