NCBC Demands West Bengal Share OBC Survey Data as BJP Accuses TMC of Appeasement
The commission has set a June 18 deadline to review the Mamata Banerjee administration’s data-backed revision following the High Court’s invalidation of the previous list.
Overview
- The West Bengal government added 76 groups to its OBC-A and OBC-B lists on June 3, bringing the total to 140 communities with 80 identified as Muslim.
- NCBC chairperson Hansraj Ahir issued a fresh notice seeking the state’s survey methodology and commission recommendations by June 18.
- BJP leaders Suvendu Adhikari and Amit Malviya argued that the revised list disproportionately benefits Muslim castes compared with the 2010 register.
- The Calcutta High Court struck down the earlier OBC list in May 2024 for relying solely on religion, and the Supreme Court is set to hear West Bengal’s appeal.
- Mamata Banerjee defends the revised roster as grounded in a scientific benchmark survey designed to clear legal hurdles and resume OBC certificate issuance.