Newly-appointed Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) OBC Cell president Bijayananda Chaulia was felicitated at the Congress Bhawan here on Saturday. Earlier, Chaulia had reached the Congress headquarters in a huge rally called ‘OBC Adhikar’ from Ram Mandir Square.
PCC president Sarat Pattanayak addressing the gathering said the Congress is ready to fight for the genuine rights of the OBC community. In 2024, if the Congress comes to power, a caste-based census would be carried out in the State. The present Odisha Government has neglected the OBC community in the education sector. While more than 50% of the State’s population belongs to the OBC category, they have been given only 11.5% reservation in jobs.
The State Government hurriedly formed the OBC Commission and conducted a survey in which many communities were excluded. The survey was not held door to door. Only keeping in mind the 2024 elections, the survey was conducted to attract the OBC community, said Pattanayak.