A Short History Of How OBCs Became OBCs

“Modi ji has been misleading the people by saying that he is an OBC. PM Modi was not born in the OBC category. He was born Teli caste in Gujarat. The community was given the tag of OBC in the year 2000 by the BJP. He was born in the General caste...He will not allow caste census to be conducted in his entire life because he was not born in OBC, he was born in General caste." said Rahul Gandhi to the public during the Odisha leg of his Bharat Jodi Nyay Yatra.

The history

Gandhi's remarks gave an impression that the OBC category is an old one in the Indian government records. However, facts tell a different history.

The Other Backward Classes (OBCs) as a separate category was recognised by Indian polity only in 1990. Before that the usage of the term was restricted to only the power corridors and reservation in government jobs and educational institutions was restricted to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities.

On 1 January 1979,  the Morarji Desai Government established a second Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission, popularly known as Mandal Commission. The Commission was tasked with identifying the ‘socially or educationally backward classes’ of India. 

Mandal Commission Report

Due to lack of updated data on Caste, the Mandal Commission used the Census of 1931 and some sample studies. Eleven indicators were used to determine 'backwardness' of communities.

The Commission pointed out that people belonging to 3,743 different castes and communities were backward and that they encompassed 52 per cent of the Indian population.

Based on this number, the Commission advocated 52 per cent reservation for OBCs. Since that would go against the upper limit of 50 per cent reservation, set by a 1962 judgment of the Supreme Court, the Commission recommended 27 per cent reservation.

The Mandal Commission submitted its report in December 1980. The Congress was back in power by then, and the report was handed to the Indira Gandhi administration.

The Indira Gandhi Government did not do anything about the report and later her successor, Rajiv Gandhi, too left the report untouched, presumably fearing a backlash.

The turn in 1990

Finally on 7 August 1990, the National Front Government led by V P Singh presented the report in Parliament. Prime Minister Singh himself announced that OBCs would be given 27 per cent reservation in central government and public sector units.

Despite nationwide protests against it, the policy was implemented and the term Other Backward Classes (OBCs) received statutory recognition.

What happens to Rahul Gandhi's claim?

Thus, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi's charge that PM Modi was 'not born an OBC' is an anachronism since the term 'OBC' itself received official recognition a full 40 years after the PM's birth in 1950.

Even in Gujarat, PM Modi's caste was not included in the OBC list by a BJP government in 2000 but by a Congress government in 1994.

What makes it worse for Congress and Rahul Gandhi is that his latest attack on the Prime Minister is likely to mobilise the Teli community and other similar OBC communities against the Congress throughout India.