No SEBC survey, only caste census in Odisha: Opposition

2023-10-06 11:44:26

Bhubaneswar: The demand for caste census has gained momentum in Odisha with the opposition alleging that the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) survey has failed to accurately estimate the number of backward classes in the state.

The Congress on Thursday demanded that the state government call a special session of the Assembly for a day to discuss the issue, while the BJP said the BJD government was not committed to the SEBC and the survey was a hoax. Both parties demanded immediate public release of the report of the survey conducted by the Odisha State Backward Classes Commission (OSCBC).

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Sharat Patnaik rejected the OSCBC survey and demanded the government to conduct a caste census. Since the survey was voluntary, many people in urban areas did not participate, as was evident in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, which is why the SEBC numbers have declined, he said.

Congress legislature party leader Narsingh Mishra accused the state government of being anti-OBC and said that staff was not provided to the OSCBC. “The government is not even assisting the commission. BJD is completely anti-OBC.”

BJP said that the survey was not conducted properly. Rengali MLA Nauri Naik pointed out that the practice largely depends on voluntary participation, requiring individuals to visit survey centers with documents for identification, leaving many out. He said, this shows that the state government lacks commitment towards the development of backward classes. He said the government should immediately release the survey report as has been done in Bihar.

Former Union Minister Shrikant Jena also called for a caste-based census. The number of SEBCs in the state can be revealed by conducting a door-to-door census, he said, adding that the Central and State governments have done injustice to the backward classes. According to the 1931 caste census, OBCs and SEBCs constituted 54 percent of the state’s population and now their numbers have increased.

However, BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra rejected the opposition’s allegations. The former minister said, if the government was ‘anti-OBC’ then it would not have formed the commission in the first place. He said, since some other castes are demanding inclusion in the OBC list, the government is seriously considering everything before making the final report public.