BJP MLA says ‘most of the benefits of OBC are availed by affluent castes’, sparks controversy

Dasada BJP MLA Parashottam Parmar stirred a political controversy in Surendranagar after he commented on Other Backward Castes (OBC), saying that most of the benefits of the 27% OBC reservation are availed by affluent castes. 

Speaking at a student felicitation programme organised by the Kshatriya Thakor community in Patdi, Parmar reportedly questioned the OBC reservation system, saying that a major chunk of the 27% quota is cornered by some affluent castes. As a result, the genuinely needy communities do not get full benefits.

BJP MLA supports caste-based census

Supporting Rahul Gandhi, the BJP MLA reiterated from the stage that a caste-based census should be conducted so the real picture can emerge. Only through a census can it be determined how large each community’s population is. He suggested that reservation should be allocated on the principle of “as much share in reservation as the share in population”.

Jignesh Mevani’s reaction

Meanwhile, Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani said, “It is good that a BJP MLA has come out in support of Rahul Gandhi but the real question is why it took him so many years to realise this”. He added that all BJP MLAs should support a caste-based census. However, Parmar’s controversial remarks may land him in trouble against his own party.