As the Opposition BJP on Wednesday celebrated the Calcutta High Court’s decision to put an interim stay on the West Bengal government’s fresh OBC list, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the ruling was interim and under legal review.
“We acted within the Supreme Court’s guidelines, and the categorisation was done by the state OBC Commission, not the government,” the CM said at a press conference at Nabanna, the state secretariat.
“It is not the final order. They have given some suggestions and directions. We received the order last night. Our legal team is studying it,” she added.
Accusing the BJP and CPI(M) of “never wanting the OBC reservation Bill to be passed,” the TMC chief said, “This (OBC list) is meant for the poor. The CPI(M) and the BJP don’t want the OBC reservation passed because it benefits the poor. Out of the 140 communities, 60 were non-Muslims. Why are you irritated when Muslims get benefits?”
Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari was seen distributing sweets among BJP leaders on the Assembly premises. Welcoming the High Court’s order, the BJP MLA said: “This is a resounding victory of the judiciary against an arrogant state government that has repeatedly flouted constitutional norms for narrow political gains… The TMC government’s blatant appeasement politics is evident from the disproportionate inclusion of almost 90% Muslim communities in the updated OBC list. Before TMC came to power in 2010, only 20% of OBC communities were Muslim. Under Mamata Banerjee’s regime, this number has skyrocketed, sidelining deserving Hindu and other non-Muslim communities who have historically required affirmative action.”
CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty also criticised the government, saying: “The TMC government consistently misleads people on OBC reservation. The High Court had earlier cancelled an OBC list. Instead of rectifying the process, the government repeated the same mistakes. This is nothing but an attempt to mislead the people of Bengal.”
The TMC, on the other hand, slammed Adhikari for distributing sweets in the Assembly. “The BJP is an anti-OBC party…One must look at the plot being conspired by Opposition leaders here…We have faith in the judiciary, but one must take note of who were the architects…The picture that is emerging is similar to what we have seen before. We have seen that in this High Court, those who made big statements on recruitment stepped aside to become BJP MPs. Now, they want to damage OBCs and create unrest,” said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh. “Their politics is creating legal hurdles whereas we work towards resolving issues.”
Meanwhile, senior TMC leader Arup Chakraborty demanded Adhikari’s arrest. “It is unfortunate to see that the one who has been appointed as the Leader of Opposition by the BJP is making such statements that is a direct attack on India’s federal structure. Making such a statement means they are engaging in anti-national statements. People like Suvendu Adhikari give lectures on patriotism. He should be booked under UAPA for his remarks, and the agencies should initiate an investigation against him.”