NCBC seeks details of 87 backward communities in Bengal

Kolkata, Oct 23 (IANS) National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has sought details of 87 backwards communities awaiting inclusion in the OBC list in West Bengal.

Recently, a notice on this count was served to the state government, confirmed a senior official of the state government who did not wish to be named.

As per reports, the reason for the notice is the state government's failure, while recommending these 87 communities for inclusion in the OBC list, in providing family-tree details of those who underwent religious conversion.

Of the 87 communities proposed for enlistment under the OBC category, 76 are from the Muslim community, while the remaining nine are Hindus.

The state government has been asked to submit the related documents sought by the NCBC at the next hearing of the commission in the matter on November 3.

For quite some time, the BJP has been accusing the Trinamool Congress of playing the religious card in enlisting people in the OBC list considering that in the existing state list which has a total of 179 OBC categories, 118 are Muslims, while only 61 are Hindus.

The state's ruling party has its own logic in countering that.

According to the government, although the number of enlisted communities might be more from the Muslims, it is not necessary that Muslims outnumber Hindus in the total population enlisted under OBC category in the state.

It is quite possible that the total population enlisted under the fewer Hindu OBC categories might be much more than the total population under more Muslim OBC categories, the state government added.