How is Bengal CM Tackling BJP's Disinformation on OBC List?

Kolkata, June 17 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, has instructed her Cabinet Ministers to initiate a campaign aimed at combating the misinformation propagated by the BJP concerning the newly released list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state. This list was created by the Trinamool Congress-led state government following a directive from the Supreme Court.

During a Cabinet meeting on Monday, the Chief Minister urged her Ministers to embark on a comprehensive outreach program to inform the public about how the new OBC list was compiled.

In her address last week at the ongoing Monsoon session of the Assembly, CM Banerjee asserted that religion plays no role in the recent survey aimed at identifying individuals eligible for inclusion in the OBC category.

She also mentioned that there are currently 49 castes in the OBC-A category, while the OBC-B category comprises 91 castes, with plans to include an additional 50 castes soon.

According to the Chief Minister, the survey focuses on economic disadvantage rather than religious affiliation.

In response, the BJP's IT Cell Chief and the party's central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, challenged CM Banerjee's claims by citing state government data that allegedly indicates preferential treatment for individuals from the Muslim community concerning their inclusion in the OBC list based on the recent survey.

Earlier in May 2024, a division bench at the Calcutta High Court annulled all OBC certificates issued in West Bengal post-2010, effectively rendering all such certificates issued since the current Trinamool Congress government took office in 2011 invalid.

This ruling, made by Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Rajasekhar Mantha, resulted in over 500,000 OBC certificates being voided, preventing holders from accessing reservation benefits in employment.

The West Bengal government subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court following the Calcutta High Court's decision, and in March of this year, the apex court permitted the state to conduct a new survey to classify OBCs.

However, since the beginning of this survey, the BJP has raised concerns about the methodology employed by the Trinamool Congress-led government.

BJP Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, has criticized the state government’s approach, asserting that the fresh survey mirrors the one previously invalidated by the apex court and the Calcutta High Court.

In the Cabinet meeting on Monday, a proposal was also approved to create two vice-chairperson positions for the West Bengal Minorities' Commission.

Last week, the West Bengal Minorities' Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was passed in the Assembly, facilitating the appointment of two vice-chairpersons for the commission, an increase from the previous allowance of one.