Times of India: Ahmedabad: Sunday, 09 August 2015.
Just as the Patidars' demand for OBC status gets
shriller, the Gujarat Commission for Other Backward Classes has stated in its
reply to an RTI query that it is already collecting information about the most
backward communities in Gujarat. The reply was sent by chairperson of the
commission, retired Justice Sugnva Bhatt.
The reply, which is dated August 5, says, "I
have to inform you that we are collecting information regarding the most
backward communities of Gujarat, at the behest of the National Commission. We
are informed by the National Commission that the central government through the
National Backward Classes Commission wants to know the ground reality of the
basis of the most backward communities of various states."
The RTI applicant Maulik Shrimali said he had
filed the application to acquire a 2004 notification in which the Union
government had sought the opinion of the state government on whether to extend
reservation to Kachia Patel, Kunbi Patel, Malesalam Garasiya, Sindhi and
Jaiswal communities as well.
"I had sought a copy of the notification
along with a list of most backward communities of the state," said
Shrimali. "In fact, in return I got this reply regarding the national
commission survey.
Interestingly, Shrimali had filed an appeal before
the Bhatt commission after he was refused information by the state commission's
public information officer (PIO) R V Chavda in May. It was a routine RTI
application seeking information on the castes included in the Other Backward
Classes (OBC) or the Baxi Panch list, and the reservation benefits. Shrimali
was surprised to find a reply from the secretary of the commission in which the
former (Shrimali) was asked to provide the details of his caste and the reason
why he had sought the information.
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