'Reservation for Hindus given to Muslims': Suvendu slams CM over vote bank politics

In a sharp attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, West Bengal's Leader of Opposition, Shubhendu Adhikari, on Wednesday accused the state administration of manipulating reservation policies for mere vote-bank politics. Addressing a gathering of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) organization in Salt Lake, Kolkata, Adhikari alleged that the benefits of OBC reservation, rightfully due to Hindus, have been entirely diverted to the Muslim community by the TMC government. This strong accusation comes in the wake of a significant Calcutta High Court ruling that nullified several OBC certificates issued by the state since 2010, marking an unprecedented judicial intervention in the state's reservation policy.

Adhikari emphasized that this is a historic instance where a High Court has cancelled certificates issued by a government throughout its entire tenure. He further claimed that the TMC government is implementing the central government's Economically Weaker Section (EWS) reservation policy in a distorted manner, with the sole aim of appeasing Muslims.

He asserted that the practice of vote-bank politics in the state was initiated by the Left Front government after the Nandigram land movement to gain Muslim support, a baton he claims has now been picked up and advanced by the Trinamool Congress. This historical context adds another layer to his political critique.

Shubhendu Adhikari underscored that the central government's reservation policy for economically weaker sections is not based on religion. He explicitly stated, "EWS reservation cannot be used for vote-bank politics," drawing a clear distinction between the central and state approaches to reservation.

It is noteworthy that in May 2024, the Calcutta High Court had indeed nullified the OBC status granted to several categories in West Bengal since 2010. The court found that the reservation given to these categories in state government jobs was illegal. Specifically, the court cancelled the reservation of 77 categories issued between April and September 2010, and an additional 37 categories included under the 2012 state reservation act. Before May 2011, the Left Front government was in power, followed by the Trinamool Congress.

Adhikari also accused the TMC and previous governments in the state of weakening democracy through their persistent vote-bank politics. He additionally claimed that the state government is not cooperating with the Centre in providing land for fencing along a 500-kilometer stretch of the India-Bangladesh border, raising concerns about national security and cross-border issues.