14 extensions later, panel on OBC sub-quotas files report | India News

NEW DELHI: After almost six years and 14 extensions, the commission for sub-categorisation of OBCs submitted its report on the last day of its tenure on Monday, putting the ball in the court of the Modi government to decide if it wants to redefine the reservation structure for the backward classes erected by the Mandal Commission. The Rohini Commission submitted the report to the President, an official release said. The recommendations of the commission are still to be known officially, though there is speculation galore.

The commission was set up in October 2017, amid heightened expectations that the BJP government was eager to divide the OBCs into sub-groups and apportion the 27% central quota among them. The idea behind sub-classification is to ensure equitable distribution of quota benefits among the various OBC communities. The complaint has been that stronger castes, with good economic and educational standards, and consequently better competitive abilities, have been cornering the quota benefits at the cost of weaker castes. The sub-grouping, with each bloc eligible for only a portion of 27% quota, is said to provide a fair distribution of affirmative action. Many believe that the strategy ties in with the BJP’s attempt to woo the “most backwards”.
The panel, headed by retired Justice G Rohini, was to initially submit its report in 12 weeks, but has since been given 14 extensions. The BJP had developed cold feet on the subject, after its reverses in December 2018 assembly elections, and a concern that sub-categorisation could trigger controversies that the party wanted to avoid.

However, any attempt at sub-categorisation can antagonise the stronger OBCs, as it would limit their open share of 27% quota to a small chunk of it. Interestingly, these are the communities with numbers, resources and political muscle. Ever since the talk of sub-grouping started, Mandalite regional parties like the RJD have been demanding that a caste census should be done to get an idea of the share of each backward caste in the total OBC population, as also the share of OBCs in the general population. They argue that only with a caste census can the government do a fair job of sub-categorisation.