Agartala, Dec 15 (TIWN): The delegates of OBC Joutha Andolan Manch, Tripura State Committee today submitted deputation to the Governor PB Acharya on behalf of the 40 percent people belong to OBC in respect to the protection of their constitutional rights for favour of Governor’s active intervention for redresses. The delegates also placed a memorandum with 11-point charter of demands.

According to the letter, due to the heavy influx of refugees here after partition, the SC and OBC population has become a decisive factor to the demography of the state unlike other NE state except Assam. In Tripura, the prevailing total reservation is 48 percent (SC-17% & ST-31%) as per their population. The state government never tried to introduce the reservation here for OBCs (socially and educationally backward classes) under the article no- 15(4) and 16(4).

As a sequence, a large portion of population has been trailing behind the bars and suffering from social and educational backwardness for decades, the fruits of modern development of the state. It is fact that the state government maintains the reservation policy of SCs and STs properly but remained negative towards the reservation for OBCs ridiculously. Politically also the party in power cannot be considered as the friend of OBCs.

The main demands of OBC Joutha Andolan Manch are; a bill in the legislative assembly under the article 31(C) has to be passed to provide adequate reservation in education and employment for the OBC people in state. The quantum of OBC population has to be ascertained by the state government. Sufficient infrastructure has to be incorporated to the OBC directorate of Tripura and to open its branches up to sub-division level. The phrase ‘other than job’ inscribed on the OBC certificate issued in the state should be withdrawn and the process of verification of identity and income for creamy layer should be as per the direction of Centre.

Besides, they also demanded; to set up OBC guest houses in Agartala and district Head Quarters, sanction of OBC stipends should be made regular and same as SC and ST counterparts, allocation of fund for OBC in the state budget should be as per OBC population ration, for all round development of OBCs including its policy decision- an OBC Development Council should be constituted and multipurpose projects should be undertaken to uplift the community trade and professions of OBC people.