The Constitution amendment Bill aims to restore the power that allowed states and Union Territories (UTs) to make their own OBC lists.
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Participating in the discussion on a Constitution amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, the opposition demanded a caste-based census and removal of the cap of 50 percent on reservations as the House unanimously passed the OBC Bill. The Bill will now be sent to President Ram Nath Kovind for his assent.
Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said that the reservation cap should be removed which is now 50 percent. If it is not removed then the purpose of the bill will be defeated as the states should get the power to increase the reservation.
While Abhishek Manu Singhvi and RJD Manoj Kumar Jha demanded a caste census in the country to ascertain the number of OBCs, the opposition got a harsh riposte from the government with Sushil Modi of the BJP claiming that the whole OBC reservation came into existence due to the efforts of the BJP.
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Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said the Uttar Pradesh government is planning to remove Yadavs, Kurmis, and Gujjars from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) list. Participating in a discussion on the Bill, he stated that for providing the benefit of this amendment to the deprived classes, a caste economic census is required which will provide information about their education, house, and other details for making policies and schemes.
Echoing similar views, Ram Nath Thakur of the JD-U also drew the attention of the House towards vacant posts reserved for Backward Classes.
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Seventh Amendment) Bill 2021. This Bill was passed by a two-thirds majority of the Members present in the House.
It aims to restore the power that allowed states and Union Territories (UTs) to make their own OBC lists. It was demanded by a number of regional parties and even the ruling party’s own OBC leaders.
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