BJP intensifies battle over OBC reservations in Bengal

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has intensified its campaign against the system of Other Backward Classes reservations in West Bengal, accusing previous Left Front governments and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s administration of using the policy to appease Muslim communities.

The issue has become one of the central political debates in the state ahead of future elections, with the BJP arguing that the reservation structure was expanded for political reasons rather than on the basis of social and economic backwardness, News.Az reports, citing Scroll.

The controversy escalated after court rulings questioned the process through which several communities were added to the OBC list in West Bengal.

The BJP claims that a large number of Muslim groups were included in the category without proper surveys or recommendations, while the Trinamool Congress government has defended the reservations, saying they were granted according to constitutional procedures and social justice principles.

The debate has also revived tensions surrounding caste, religion and identity politics in the state, where the BJP has increasingly attempted to strengthen its support base by accusing regional parties of minority appeasement.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova