‘Govt must give 9 pc quota to OBCs’
Kuldeep Verma, vice-chairman of the newly constituted OBC Advisory Board talked to The Tribune on issues confronting the OBC communities in the state and how the board would be safeguarding their interests.
Two research scholars, Ranjeet Sharma and Kandeel Kumar, from the Department of Sociology, University of Jammu, also joined the Tribune team. Following are the excerpts:
Ashutosh Sharma (AS): What is the board’s top priority?
Kuldeep Verma (KV): The board will strive for ensuring scholarships to OBC students. On the pattern of SC and ST students, the board would like to see student hostels in all district headquarters. Also, the board will ensure pension to widows and physically challenged persons belonging to the backward communities.
AS: There are several other impoverished communities like Pernas, Sansi, Sikligars etc who have been seeking OBC status. Will the board consider their demand?
KV: The board will plead the case of any such person belonging to the destitute communities who is a state subject as per the census 1931. Such communities must start registering themselves with the board.
Ranjeet Sharma: During the elections, some Congress leaders had assured state subject certificates for Sikligars. Being a Congressman could you tell us what the government has been doing in this regard?
KV: The government has to look into the state subject issue so I would not comment. As far as the OBC status is concerned, there are many other communities that need to be brought into the OBC category. Labanas have got the status recently while Jats are under consideration. Likewise, other destitute communities can also be accommodated.
RS: As per the Mandal Commission report, there are 63 castes that belong to the OBC category but the state government recognises only 25. Do you seek another caste-based census in the state?
KV: Of course, after 1931 no such census has been conducted. At that time, OBCs constituted 32 per cent of the total population of the state, but the present status is unclear.
Kandeel Kumar: Don’t you think caste-based reservations have been promoting divisive politics?
KV: No. Reservations are all about creating opportunities for the deprived sections on a priority basis. Their economic welfare is imperative for their social and political welfare.
KK: Why members of the OBCs are granted two certificates in the name of other social case and OBC. Don’t you think there should be one certificate as candidates applying for jobs have to face hardships?
KV: There is a technical aspect related to the issue although we have already taken up the issue with the government. The board has also proposed for changing the nomenclature of the certificate and increasing the validity of certificates.
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria (RKK): Prior to 11-month-long Indo-Pak standoff in the wake of Parliament attack, there used to be intense shelling by Pakistani troops in the border areas like Akhnoor, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. Following intervention of Congress MP Madan Lal Sharma, the then Speaker Tara Chand (now Deputy CM) and Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma, the union government had sanctioned Rs 78 crore to rehabilitate such families, but only in Akhnoor sector allotting each of them a five-marla plot in a safe zone. Have all of them been rehabilitated?
KV: You would be glad to know that around 21,000 families have been benefited. A colony with good roads and regular power and water supply is fast coming up. On the intervention of Sharma, plots were given to each affected family and they were also given Rs 50,000 in two instalments to start foundation work of their respective houses in the colony, which also has four to six water overhead tanks and tubewells.
RKK: There has been instant action in case of Akhnoor while thousands of border migrants from other areas of Jammu region, particularly those near the international border, still remain victims of official apathy? Would it be correct to say that political power, which shifted to Akhnoor subdivision, played a major role?
KV: Border migrants from IB and those from Akhnoor can’t be compared for altogether different situations. We have LoC in Akhnoor (LoC in Akhnoor starts from Punjtoot in the Pallanwala area) and one cannot ignore the fact that thousands of people were displaced in Akhnoor whenever there was Indo-Pak conflict. There is no discrimination with the border migrants of IB but certainly their grievances would be looked into afresh. I also refuse to endorse your views that shift of political power to Akhnoor played a major role.
Dinesh Manhotra (DM): Recommendations of the Mandal Commission have been implemented all over the country except J&K. Don’t you think weaker sections, especially the OBCs, are being denied their constitutional rights due to special status of the state?
KV: I don’t want to discuss what happened in the past. In my opinion there are many reasons for the non-implementation of the recommendations. Now, after constitution of the Backward Classes Commission, I want to assure that constitutional rights of OBCs would be restored at any cost.
DM: You mean that 27 per cent reservations would be given to OBCs in the state also. Is it possible?
KV: Though it is not possible to give 27 per cent due to direction of the Supreme Court that denies any state to cross the aggregate reservation limit of 50 per cent, I have taken up the matter with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to grant at least remaining 9 per cent reservation to OBCs.
DM: Do you agree with the allegations in the name of the Resident of Backward Area (RBA) categories, reservation rights of the OBCs have been snatched?
KV: I am not responsible about the developments that took place in the past.
DM: It is alleged that you are playing in the hands of a faction of Congress leaders who have been using you against Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand. What is your reaction?
KV: I have strongly denied such vague allegations. Though Lok Sabha member Madan Lal Sharma has played important role in my nomination, I have cordial relations with Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand because we belong to the same area.
Archit Watts (AW): At present, how many MLAs and MLCs belong to the OBC category?
KV: There is not even a single MLA or MLC from the OBC category. I recall only one MLA Balak Ram, but he is no more. To name an MLC, it was Chunni Lal, but he is not active in politics these days due to his old age.
AW: Why people belonging to the OBC category have a thin presence in the legislature?
KV: In politics, everyone has to prove his worth. And whosoever is able to do it, will get nomination from a political party for contesting the election. It does not mean that those belonging to OBCs are any way lesser in caliber than other communities, but it will take some more time. They have started getting their due in every sphere. I also belong to the OBC category.
Sunaina Kaul: Is there any creamy layer among OBCs? Do you think that they too need to be given reservation in government jobs?
KV: Yes, there is a creamy layer. The board wants that any family belonging to OBC category with annual income exceeding Rs 5 lakh should not be given reservation. Privilege should only be given to poor and the downtrodden.
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