Opposition will support the government’s OBC reservation bill

The last week of the Monsoon session of Parliament, which was going on amidst uproar and noise, has begun. During this, the Modi government is trying to get an important bill passed and at the top of it is the Constitution Amendment Bill related to OBC reservation. The central government introduced this bill in the Lok Sabha on Monday. At the same time, the opposition party Congress has also announced that it is in support of this bill. If the bill is passed, the states will once again have the right to notify a caste in the OBC list.
Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar introduced the Constitution (127th Amendment) Bill, 2021 relating to the Other Backward Classes. During this, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that today all the opposition parties met and decided that the said bill should be discussed in the House. He said that we want to pass this bill related to the welfare of Other Backward Classes. “We understand the responsibility of the opposition. All the opposition parties decided that it should be discussed and passed. The backward class of the country is concerned with this bill.
On the other hand, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said on Monday that all opposition parties are ready to support the 127th Constitution Amendment Bill. He gave this information after the meeting of opposition parties held in Parliament House today. Kharge said that the opposition parties have decided to cooperate with the government in this meeting. He said that this amendment is being done to restore the right of the states to notify socially and economically backward communities. He said that more than half of the population in this country is from backward community. The bill will be introduced, it will be discussed and it will be passed on the same day. Significantly, the Supreme Court, in its decision on May 5 this year, had said that only the Center has the right to prepare the OBC list.
What will be the effect if the amendment bill is passed?
If the amendment of Articles 342-A and 366(26)C of the Constitution is approved in the Parliament, then after this the states will have the right to notify the castes on their own in the OBC list. Maratha community in Maharashtra, Jat community in Haryana, Patel community in Gujarat and Lingayat community in Karnataka may get a chance to join the OBC category. These castes have been demanding reservation for a long time. Of these, the Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis government had given reservation to the Maratha community, but it was rejected by the Supreme Court in its decision on May 5.
BJP issues whip to MPs
The Bharatiya Janata Party has issued a three-line whip on Monday for its party’s MPs in the Rajya Sabha. In the whip, party MPs have been asked to be present in the House on August 10 and 11. In fact, this whip has been issued by the BJP regarding the OBC reservation bill. The government introduced this bill in the Lok Sabha on Monday. It can be introduced in the Rajya Sabha as soon as it gets the green signal from the Lok Sabha. This bill has also got the support of the opposition.