Political sparring erupts in Bengal after Calcutta High Court stays new OBC list

Political tensions escalated in West Bengal on Wednesday after the Calcutta High Court stayed the implementation of a new OBC reservation list introduced by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government on Tuesday.
The court order came days after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee laid the revised list before the Assembly. A division bench of Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha directed the state not to take any action based on the list until July 31, when the matter will be heard next.
Earlier this month, the West Bengal government had issued a notification expanding the OBC list to include 76 additional sub-castes, taking the total number of communities to 140. Of these, 80 are Muslim communities and 60 are non-Muslim.
The move triggered sharp criticism from the Opposition, with BJP and CPI(M) leaders accusing the TMC of indulging in vote-bank politics.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said on X, 'I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Hon'ble Calcutta High Court for its landmark decision to stay the inclusion of 76 Muslim classes in the new OBC list prepared by the Mamata Banerjee government. This is a resounding victory of the judiciary against an arrogant state government that has repeatedly flouted constitutional norms for narrow political gains.'
Alleging religious bias in the reclassification, Adhikari said: 'The TMC government's blatant appeasement politics is evident from the disproportionate inclusion of almost 90% Muslim communities in the updated OBC list. Before TMC came to power in 2010, only 20% of OBC communities were Muslim. Under Mamata Banerjee's regime, this number has skyrocketed, sidelining deserving Hindu and other non-Muslim communities who have historically required affirmative action.'
He added, 'Today's stay order is a powerful reminder that the rule of law prevails over political opportunism.'
CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty also criticised the government at a press conference, saying: 'The state government consistently misleads people on OBC reservation. The High Court had earlier cancelled an OBC list. Instead of rectifying the process, the government repeated the same mistakes. This is nothing but an attempt to mislead the people of Bengal.'
'Celebrating' the High Court order on Wednesday, the BJP distributed sweets in the legislative Assembly.
TMC leaders slammed Adhikari for distributing sweets in the state Assembly following the order. 'BJP is an anti-OBC party. One must look at the plot being conspired by Opposition leaders here. We have faith in judiciary but one must take note of who were the architects. The picture that is emerging is similar to what we have seen before. We have seen that in this High Court, those who made big statements on recruitment stepped aside to become BJP MPs. Now, they want to damage OBCs and create unrest,' said TMC leader Kunal Ghosh. 'Their politics is creating legal hurdles whereas we work towards resolving issues,' Ghosh added.
Launching a strong offensive against the BJP, TMC leaders on Wednesday slammed the Leader of Opposition. Addressing a press conference at Kolkata's Trinamool Bhavan, TMC leader Arup Chakraborty said, 'It is unfortunate to see that the one who has been appointed as the Leader of Opposition by the BJP is making such statements, which is a direct attack on India's federal structure. Making such a statement means they are engaging in anti-national statements. People like Suvendu Adhikari give lectures on patriotism. He should be booked under UAPA for his remarks and the agencies should initiate an investigation against him.'
Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal.
Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More

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