Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor seeks survey of OBCs in Gujarat

Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor Friday said he would approach the Gujarat OBC Commission soon with a demand for a survey of all the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state to find out if they have benefited from the existing reservation system.

Thakor's statement came a day after Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel approached the commission with a demand to conduct a survey of the Patel community to prove their social and economic backwardness so that its members become eligible for reservation in jobs and education under the OBC category.

"I believe that a survey of OBC castes should be carried out so that we would know how much they actually benefited from the reservation. Our delegation would meet the OBC Commission soon with this demand," Thakor said.

In Gujarat, there are a total of 146 castes listed under the OBC category, also known as Socially and Educationally Backward Classes.

"This survey is necessary to check if these castes have made any progress or they are still socially and educationally backward.

"And if they are still backward, then we will also demand an explanation as to what the commission or the government intends to do about it," said the prominent OBC leader of Gujarat.

Following the Maharashtra government's decision to grant reservation to the Marathas on the basis of a survey by the OBC Commission of the neighbouring state that established their backwardness, Patel had demanded a similar exercise for his community in Gujarat.

Thakor has been opposing the demand for quotas to the Patidars (Patels) under the OBC category.

OBCs at present enjoy 27 per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.