The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) orchestrated a powerful demonstration today in Odisha’s capital, Bhubaneswar, as thousands of party workers and leaders gathered in front of the Raj Bhavan to demand equitable reservation policies for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The protest, marked by fervent speeches and a memorandum submitted to the Governor, underscored the BJD’s commitment to social justice, spotlighting the state’s failure to provide adequate reservations in education and employment for marginalized communities.
The rally, led by BJD OBC Cell convenor Dr. Arun Kumar Sahu, ST Cell convenor Mangala Kisan, and SC Cell convenor Mahesh Sahu, saw participation from prominent leaders including Pranab Prakash Das, Sanjay Das Burma, and Pramila Mallick, among others. The BJD’s demands centered on two key issues: an immediate 27% reservation for OBCs (referred to as Socially and Educationally Backward Classes, SEBCs, in Odisha) across all educational institutions, including medical and engineering colleges, and a revision of SC/ST reservations in professional courses to 38.75%, aligning with their demographic proportion in the state.
The BJD’s memorandum sharply criticised the state government’s recent announcement of an 11.25% SEBC reservation in higher education as “misleading” and “inadequate.” The party highlighted that this quota excludes critical fields like medical and engineering, where competition for seats is fierce. “The 11.25% reservation applies to courses with vacant seats, like Plus-3 and postgraduate programs, but leaves OBC students out of high-demand professional courses,” said Dr. Sahu during the protest. The BJD demanded the immediate extension of this quota to medical and engineering colleges, arguing that the exclusion undermines the spirit of social equity.
Additionally, the BJD pointed out disparities in SC/ST reservations. While Odisha provides 38.75% reservation for SCs (16.25%) and STs (22.5%) in general higher education, professional courses like MBBS and B.Tech offer only 20% (12% for STs and 8% for SCs). The party called for this to be raised to 38.75% to reflect the state’s demographic reality, where SCs and STs together constitute nearly 39% of the population.
The BJD emphasised its track record in advocating for marginalised communities. In 2020, under former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the state formed a commission under Justice Raghunath Biswal to address OBC concerns. In 2023, a state-level survey estimated the SEBC population at 39.31%, and 20 additional castes were included in the OBC list. The party also approached the Supreme Court to lift the 50% reservation cap, a legal barrier stemming from the 1992 Indra Sawhney case, to enable proportional representation. “Odisha’s unique demographic, with over 90% of the population being SC, ST, or OBC, justifies exceeding the 50% cap in education,” the memorandum stated.
The protest also served as a platform to criticise the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJD leaders accused the BJP of paying lip service to social justice while failing to deliver meaningful reforms. They pointed to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s earlier demands for OBC reservations when in opposition, contrasting it with the BJP’s inaction since assuming power in Odisha in 2024. “The BJP has consistently opposed OBC reservations and neglected the aspirations of backwards communities,” charged Mahesh Sahu.
The Congress party aligned with the BJD’s demands, with leaders like Srikant Jena and Bhakta Charan Das labelling the 11.25% SEBC quota a “betrayal” for excluding professional courses. They echoed the call for a 27% OBC reservation and a 38.75% SC/ST quota in technical education, urging the state to leverage the 2023 OBC survey data to justify higher quotas.
In response, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi defended the BJP’s decision, calling the 11.25% SEBC quota a “historic step” aligned with the National Education Policy 2020. He promised to extend the quota to professional courses soon, including MBBS and B.Tech programs.
Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal accused the BJD and Congress of neglecting SEBC reservations during their tenures, while Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj emphasised that the current policy delivers social justice. “The BJD had 24 years to act, but did nothing. We are taking concrete steps,” Suraj said.
A significant hurdle to the BJD’s demands is the 50% reservation cap, which the party argues applies to public employment, not education. The 1994 attempt to implement a 27% OBC job quota in Odisha was struck down by the Odisha High Court in 2007 due to insufficient population data, reducing it to 11.25%. The 2023 OSCBC survey provides fresh data, but exceeding the 50% cap requires either central legislation or Supreme Court approval, a process the BJD has already initiated.
The BJD vowed to escalate its movement, with leaders promising to take the fight “from the grassroots to the national level” until the demands are met. The protest saw widespread participation from party workers, reflecting strong mobilisation among OBCs, SCs, and STs, who form a significant voter base in Odisha.
The BJD’s protest is a calculated move to regain political ground as the main opposition after losing power to the BJP in 2024. By championing reservations, the party aims to consolidate support among marginalised communities, who constitute over 90% of Odisha’s population. The focus on medical and engineering courses taps into the high aspirations of students from these communities, making it a potent electoral issue. However, the BJP’s promise to extend the SEBC quota and their narrative of delivering on long-pending demands could blunt the BJD’s campaign if implemented swiftly.
As Odisha navigates this contentious issue, the debate over reservations underscores the broader challenge of balancing social justice with legal and administrative constraints. The outcome of this movement could reshape Odisha’s educational and political landscape, with ripple effects on national reservation policies.
