Parliament Decides SC/ST List, But Benefits of Devpt Should Also Reach Mahadalits & MBCs, Says Adityanath

New Delhi: Talking on the stay order of the Allahabad High Court on the inclusion of 17 Most Backward Castes (OBC) in the Scheduled Caste (SC) list, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said a big community was not getting the benefits of government plans.

In an exclusive interview to News18 Network Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Adityanath said OBCs should also get the benefits. Elaborating on why the Uttar Pradesh government took the decision, he said, “The high court gave this decision. In 2017, the division bench had instructed the government to issue SC certificates to these 17 OBC categories, but this will depend on the final decision of the court. Considering this statement, the department of social welfare brought these rules.”

"Parliament decides which communities will be included in the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe list. But it remains a fact that government schemes have not reached a section among the Dalits and OBCs. Mahadalits among SCs and Most Backward Castes among OBCs should also benefit from government programmes," he added.

The Allahabad High Court on 16 September had stayed the state government's decision to include 17 OBCs in the SC list. The court’s decision came on a petition filed by social activist Gorakh Prasad.

On June 24, the state government had directed district magistrates and commissioners to issue Scheduled Caste certificates to 17 OBCs — Kashyap, Rajbhar, Dhivar, Bind, Kumhar, Kahar, Kewat, Nishad, Bhar, Mallah, Prajapati, Dhimar, Batham, Turha, Godia, Manjhi and Machua.

When asked whether he is looking to challenge the decision of the high court, Adityanath said, "This was the high court’s decision. We have formed a committee and evaluating it. A high-level committee is working on it."

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati had also slammed the government’s move as “unconstitutional” and called it “politically motivated”. “These castes will no longer get benefits of quota under the OBC category. They will be treated as general castes. It is clear that the Yogi government has issued this order to deceive these castes,” Mayawati had said.