Rishi Palpu, State Vice President, OBC Morcha, (BJP’s backward class organisation), Kerala, lists out the initiatives taken for the community during the current crisis
What are the major activities of the OBC Morcha?
The OBC Morcha is now emerged as a major force to protect and secure the rights of people from Backward Communities. That was the cause of its birth too. In Kerala, there has been a great negligence towards this issue due to the changing governments. There are many schemes and governing bodies established over the time to benefit them, but they never really got benefitted. It’s because our system is not working properly towards their facilities but only their votes. This has to be changed. And OBC Morcha is working to bring that change.
Government of India has brought out several schemes to uplift the backward class community. Is OBC Morcha creating awareness on this?
Yes. In Kerala, those schemes has been subverted by other parties. OBC Morcha sees it as a mission to create awareness on schemes. This has become the need of the hour.
There has been a loss of lives and employment and the backward classes have been the worst-affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Are you helping them in any way?
Backward classes are certainly the worst-affected. Many families have been rendered penniless. Many lives and jobs have been lost. That’s why OBC Morcha has come up with a special mission to take care of the affected people in the community.
We believe in ‘Seva Hi Sangathan’ (service is organisation). And with that motto, in Thrissur, thousands of families were provided with food kits by OBC Morcha during the lockdown. When online education began, we started to supply tablets and TVs to students from poor families. And we are still continuing this. Timely intervention in matters related to the backward communities is now getting results too.
Many people are trying to set up their own businesses but the pandemic has hit them hugely. Do you plan to put forward any schemes for saving such business and thereby people?
The central government led by Narendra Modi ji has already announced many schemes to save these businesses, especially those under MSME sectors. The major need is to create awareness on these schemes and help them to get benefits out of them.
What about the students who don’t have access to smartphones or technology? How are you helping them stay connected with education during these times?
The OBC Morcha has come up with mission to supply gadgets to those who have no facilities for online education.
What is your solution to the growing poverty and suffering amid the pandemic?
There is no single solution for this. The Government of India is working hard and taking measures to help people in the crisis. We have to remain positive and work for a brighter future. The need of the hour is fighting away the pandemic. But for that, all the guidelines from government must be followed.
Do you think OBC Morcha can become an umbrella to cater to all the backward classes of the State?
Why not? Yes, it may. We are working towards a great goal of emancipation of backward communities from the clutches of negligence and discrimination. There is no compromise on that. Recently, we took an initiative to bring the Kumhara community (potters’ community) in Kerala on a single platform to find solution for their problems. They are in crisis while lockdown and pandemic has almost paved the way to death for this small industry. Now, the OBC Morcha has taken up their issues to create a good platform to revive this.