Bhubaneswar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday lashed out at opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress for criticising Odisha government’s decision to provide 11.25 per cent reservation to SEBC students in higher education.
Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, BJP’s Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal said that promises made in the party’s Sankalp Patra will be implemented in letter and spirit,
While caste census is set to be conducted for the benefit of backward classes, the Odisha government has taken the first step by approving a 11.25% reservation for SEBC students in higher educational institutions, he said.
Necessary steps will be taken in due course to provide reservation for SEBC students in medical, technical and engineering courses also, the BJP leader said.
The state government and the party are working in coordination to ensure proper steps for providing quota for SEBC students in all educational, he said.
Samal further stated that the upcoming caste census will pave way for proper empowerment of backward classes.
Coming down heavily on BJD and Congress, the BJP leader accused the opposition parties of trying to confuse and mislead people on caste census and quota for SEBC. The opposition parties are opposing the initiative forgetting their own past actions, he said.
“Those who are opposing merely for the sake of opposition should first introspect,” the state BJP chief said.
Despite being in power for so many years, both BJD and Congress failed to take any significant step for the benefit of backward classes, Samal claimed, accusing the opposition parties of ‘shedding crocodile tears’.
Highlighting the progress made during the present BJP government in the state, Samal said they have delivered on their promises related to reservation as outlined in their manifesto. “The BJP has consistently supported the Mandal Commission,” Samal asserted.
Slamming BJD for its role on the issue, the BJP leader said those who were only giving speeches do not have the moral courage to tell anything about the matter. Their late leader, Biju Patnaik, had even moved the Supreme Court against the recommendation of the Mandal Commission. Later, they only made a campaign of supporting it, Samal claimed.
“Though Congress and BJD were in governance for a long time, they could not implement it. BJP is consistently in support of the Mandal Commission. And, when we have started its implementation process, they are trying to confuse people by giving different kinds of comments,” said Samal.
