Choose the correct answer from the option given below.

A. B.P. Mandal chaired the Second Backward Classes Commission that recommended reservation for OBC
B. The Mandal Commission was set up to investigate the extent of economical backwardness among various sections of Indian society
C. Karpoori Thakur government had introduced a new policy of reservation for OBCs in Bihar
D. In August 1991, the national front government decided to implement one of the recommendations of the Mandal Commission pertaining to reservation for OBCs in jobs in the central government

A, C

The correct answer is Option 2: A, C

Let us discuss the given statements one by one:

A. B.P. Mandal chaired the Second Backward Classes Commission that recommended reservation for OBC. (CORRECT)

B.P. Mandal (1918-1982): M.P. from Bihar for 1967-1970 and 1977-1979; chaired the Second Backward Classes Commission that recommended reservations for Other Backward Classes; a socialist leader from Bihar; Chief Minister of Bihar for just a month and a half in 1968; joined the Janata Party in 1977

B. The Mandal Commission was set up to investigate the extent of economical backwardness among various sections of Indian society. (INCORRECT)

The Mandal Commission was set up to investigate the extent of educational and social backwardness among various sections of Indian society and recommend ways of identifying these ‘backward classes’. It was also expected to give its recommendations on the ways in which this backwardness could be ended.

C. Karpoori Thakur government had introduced a new policy of reservation for OBCs in Bihar. (CORRECT)

Reservations for the OBC were in existence in southern States since the 1960s, if not earlier. But this policy was not operative in north Indian States. It was during the tenure of Janata Party government in 1977-79 that the demand for reservations for backward castes in north India and at the national level was strongly raised. Karpoori Thakur, the then Chief Minister of Bihar, was a pioneer in this direction. His government had introduced a new policy of reservations for OBCs in Bihar. Following this, the central government appointed a Commissi in 1978 to look into and recommend ways to improve the conditions of the backward classes. This was the second time since Independence that the government had appointed such a commission. Therefore, this commission was officially known as the Second Backward Classes Commission.

D. In August 1991, the national front government decided to implement one of the recommendations of the Mandal Commission pertaining to reservation for OBCs in jobs in the central government. (INCORRECT)

In August 1990, the National Front government decided to implement one of the recommendations of Mandal Commission pertaining to reservations for OBCs in jobs in the central government and its undertakings. This decision sparked agitations and violent protests in many cities of north India.