The issue is not with Muslims, but how their castes have increased over time, National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) chairman Hansraj Gangaram Ahir spoke to News18 as the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has accused the BJP of communalising the situation ahead of the Panchayat polls.
Till 2009, there were only 66 OBC castes, including 12 of Muslims, in West Bengal, which was increased by 41, all of them being Muslim castes. From 2011 till now, more Muslim castes have been added, making it a total of 118 castes on the state OBC list, while Hindu OBC castes have remained only 61, Ahir explained to News18. There are 179 castes on the state list of OBC castes.
“The state government told me that the population of Hindus is 70 percent and that of Muslims was 27 percent. Why are there 118 Muslim castes and 61 Hindu castes? I feel the castes have been made wrongly. These are not there even in Mandal Commission. We have asked for these to be removed and mistakes to be corrected,” Ahir said.
He also said he has not seen any other state except for
West Bengal that has double the Muslim castes than Hindus ones.
“As a chairman of NCBC, I feel there is injustice done. The original castes of both Hindus and Muslims have suffered. For me, it isn’t about the state government, I feel the parameters have not been kept in mind, that’s why the increase is lop-sided,” Ahir said.
BJP leaders, including party president JP Nadda, have accused
Trinamool of favouring Muslims in the OBC list ahead of Panchayat polls.
Ahir has alleged that the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes is “not doing the right job”. “I asked them if I am sitting in Bengal or Bangladesh. If such loot is done against Hindus, then NCBC is there to check it. If they (the Bengal commission) feel they have done the right job, then I can’t say anything. I don’t have faith in the commission,” he further said.
He also questioned the role of the Cultural Research Institute (CRI), which is the scientific and technical wing of the
Backward Classes Welfare Department of West Bengal. Ahir said CRI told them that they survey what jobs people are doing to decide caste status. He questioned, “If a person is doing a certain job, does that mean they belong to a certain caste?”
The Mamata Banerjee government had in June 2012 passed a Bill in the West Bengal Assembly to include Muslims in the OBC list, who had 17 percent reservation in government jobs and higher education.
The demand to include Muslims in the OBC category was raised during the Left regime after the Sachar Committee’s recommendations, which had shown the socio-economic conditions of the Muslims of West Bengal.
This article first appeared here on News18.com. 
