Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJP in Odisha on Tuesday expressed its support for extending the 11.25% reservation for Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) students to medical, engineering, and other technical courses in the state.
This announcement comes a day ahead of a planned dharna by the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which is demanding a 27% quota for SEBC students in these professional courses.
Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal addressed a press conference, reiterating that the party supports SEBC reservations across all sectors of education, including school education, and has recommended that the state government implement a uniform 11.25% quota in professional courses.
“The BJP is committed to ensuring constitutional rights for SEBCs. We have taken up the matter with the state government, and implementation will follow soon,” said Samal. He added that the current reservation structure includes 22.5% for Scheduled Tribes (STs), 16.5% for Scheduled Castes (SCs), and the newly introduced 11.25% for SEBCs, keeping the total within the 50% ceiling mandated by the Supreme Court.
Samal criticized both the Congress and BJD for failing to implement SEBC reservations during their time in power. He accused the BJD of using court orders as a pretext for inaction over the past 24 years.
He also referenced historical opposition to backward class reservations, claiming that the late Biju Patnaik, founder of the BJD, was the first chief minister to challenge such policies in the Supreme Court. He further cited Rajiv Gandhi’s opposition to the Mandal Commission in Parliament.
Highlighting the current BJP-led initiatives, Samal noted that the Modi government is preparing for a nationwide caste census, while the Majhi-led Odisha government is moving forward with policies to ensure reservation in education and employment for backward classes.
In response, senior BJD leader and former minister Arun Kumar Sahoo welcomed the BJP’s support but reiterated his party’s demand for a 27% quota in line with SEBCs constituting over half the state’s population.
Congress leader Srikant Jena echoed this stance, asserting that a proportionate reservation policy is necessary, given that SEBCs make up 54% of Odisha’s population.
