National OBC Seminar Calls for Legislative Reservations and Separate Union Ministry
A national-level seminar organised by the BC Reservations Achievement Coordination Joint Action Committee (JAC) renewed demands for statutory reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in legislative bodies and the creation of a separate Union Ministry for OBC affairs.
Addressing the seminar, National BC Dal president and JAC chairman Dundra Kumaraswamy said that a nationwide movement would be continued until Parliament enacts legislation ensuring OBC reservations in legislatures. He argued that despite OBCs constituting a majority of the population, they remain underrepresented in political decision-making structures.
The seminar, held under the aegis of the JAC, was attended by former Additional Collector Rajesham, senior physician Dr. Ramadevi, Telangana CPI State secretary Venkataswamy, National BC Dal Greater Hyderabad president Rajesh Yadav, Venkataramana, and OBC leaders, academics, and activists from several States.
Participants discussed issues related to the social, educational, and political advancement of OBC communities, the absence of legislative reservations, and what they described as the Central government’s continued reluctance to address long-standing demands.
Mr. Kumaraswamy stressed the need for an exclusive Union Ministry for OBCs, calling it an essential institutional mechanism to address policy, welfare, and representation-related concerns. He said the growing political mobilisation among OBC communities across States reflected increasing awareness about constitutional rights and social justice.
He urged the Union government to introduce a Bill providing for OBC reservations in legislatures and to place it in the Ninth Schedule to safeguard it from judicial scrutiny. Failure to do so, he warned, would lead to intensified nationwide mobilisation involving OBC organisations across the country.
Referring to decades of socio-economic and political marginalisation, speakers at the seminar observed that even 76 years after Independence, OBC-specific institutional representation at the Union level remains absent. They cautioned that political parties ignoring OBC concerns risk losing public relevance.
The seminar concluded with a resolution to strengthen coordination among OBC organisations nationwide and to sustain collective efforts until legislative representation and broader social justice goals are achieved.
