Uttar Pradesh government to issue caste certificates to 17 OBCs, opposition slams move 

Yogi Adityanath.

New Delhi: The Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party government of Uttar Pradesh has decided to issue caste certificates to members of 17 other backward classes. This decision is seen as a political ploy for the 2022 assembly election. According to surveys, the 13 castes out of 17 have an impact in nearly 100 assembly constituencies out of 403 in the state. These castes are batham, bind, dheemar, dheevar, godia, kahar, kashyap, kewat, machhua, mallah, manjhi, nishad, and turha. The other four castes are bhar, kumhar, prajapati, and rajbhar.

The 17 castes that were earlier categorized under OBC were brought under the scheduled castes by the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government in 2017. However, the decision move to include these 17 OBC castes under the SC category is currently under scrutiny in the Allahabad high court and implementation of the decision to issue caste certificates is yet to begin.

The decision of issue of caste certificate will allow people of fishermen or boatmen community to apply for jobs that are reserved for SC community and contest for assembly elections from the 80 reserved SC constituencies.

Sanjay Nishad, chief of Nishad Party, while supporting the decision taken by the government, said that the castes under which boatmen and fishermen community belong to are underdeveloped and have very little political say even though these castez have 12 per cent vote share in the state. He said he was planning to meet the state chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, to request him for the speedy implementation of the decision. The Nishad Party, which was a part of SP-BSP alliance, has recently allied with the BJP.

Meanwhile, the Congress has ridiculed the initiative taken by the state government by calling it as a mere eyewash. Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu said that the BJP government should resolve the issues raised by the people of these communities related to right to lease ponds, right over fishes and sand along the river.

Talking to reporters, he said, “These are all eyewash as if they actually wanted to do something for this community then they would have directly placed it in the assembly and would have taken it to Parliament. But all they want is create a buzz, and nothing else.”

Meanwhile, former UP chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has slammed the Adityanath government’s move to include the 17 OBCs in SC category and called the move “unconstitutional” and “politically motivated”. Talking to a reporter, Mayawati said, “It is reported in a section of media that 17 cases have been removed from OBC category and put in SC category. Yogi Adityanath government has deceived them. They will not get the benefit from any of the categories because no government can either put or remove any caste from SC category. Article 341 of the constitution bars a government from doing so.”

She further said, “Part one of Article 341 clearly states that the President can specify any group to SC category through a public notification on governor’s advice. Part 2 of the Article says that if notification is released under part one of the article, it can only be changed by Parliament. Part 2 states that Parliament can specify, include or exclude any group from SC category. … The rules state that the notification cannot be undone by any other notification.”

Related