Bhubaneswar, May 15 (UNI) Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister on Thursday criticised the Odisha government’s reservation policy for SEBC students, calling it a “cruel joke” and a “betrayal” of the aspirations of OBC/SEBC and SC/ST students.
Speaking in response to the Cabinet decision taken on Wednesday, Jena said the move was a serious letdown for OBC/SEBC students and urged the government to revise the policy or face growing public outrage across the state.
In a statement issued here, Jena referred to the announcement made by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, which declared an 11.25 per cent reservation for SEBC in higher education.
However, he criticised the exclusion of technical courses—such as medical, engineering, and other professional programs—from this reservation, labelling it a complete betrayal of the 54 per cent OBC/SEBC student and youth population.
Jena said that while the Chief Minister portrayed the move as a historic decision, it failed to deliver any substantial benefit.
He argued that OBC/SEBC students would continue to be denied opportunities in the sectors that matter most—technical and professional education.
In stark contrast, Jena pointed out that a community constituting only 6 per cent of the population enjoys 10 per cent reservation in both education and employment, including in technical and professional institutions.
This same group also dominates access to the remaining 70 per cent of unreserved seats. He alleged that this highlights a serious structural imbalance and further marginalises OBC/SEBC communities.
“This is not just selective discrimination—it clearly exposes the BJP-RSS agenda, which has consistently opposed social justice and affirmative action since the days of the Mandal Commission,” he added.
Jena further accused the government of attempting to dilute constitutional guarantees and deny marginalised communities their rightful share.
He said the recent decision is merely a repetition of the June 1, 2015 notification, which promised 38.75percent reservation for SC/STs but was never implemented in technical institutions.
Even after nearly a decade, the reservation in technical education remains limited to just 20 per cent.
Once again, the government is shirking its responsibility by avoiding any mention of technical education, Jena said, and urged the Odisha government to immediately implement a 27 per cent reservation for OBC/SEBC students in all educational institutions, including medical, engineering, and other professional courses.
He also demanded a 27 per cent reservation in public employment, along with a special recruitment drive to compensate for years of lost opportunities for OBC/SEBC youth.
The former Union Minister called for the full enforcement of the 2015 order granting 38.75 per per cent reservation for SC/STs in technical and professional education.
He also advocated for extending reservations to private educational institutions, in line with Article 15(5) of the Constitution.
Additionally, Jena demanded the revival of the SC-ST, OBC & Minority Finance Corporation and the creation of a Rs 5,000 crore corpus fund to provide interest subsidies, margin money support, and concessional loans to marginalised entrepreneurs.
