Journalism of Courage
The government moved in Lok Sabha Wednesday a bill to set up a panel for the socially and educationally backward classes. The Constitution amendment bill may, however, find it difficult to clear Rajya Sabha with Opposition parties citing a “changed atmosphere” in the wake of the government taking the money bill route for key legislation.
Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot, introducing the bill, said the new panel will be more empowered with its constitutional status and judicial powers. Another bill was moved to make the existing National Commission for Backward Classes redundant.
Opposition leaders cite a “new atmosphere” on account of the route the government used to push the GST bills and the Finance Bill. “The government has broken the Opposition’s trust with which we had cleared the Constitution amendment bill for initiating GST,” said Anand Sharma, Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha. When the bill on the National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes comes to Rajya Sabha, Sharma said, the Opposition will insist on sending it to a select committee.
According to an Opposition leader, the bill has to be opposed to keep “Opposition unity” intact. “Regional parties Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress want to oppose the bill as it will take away the powers of the states to add or remove castes in the OBC list. If we, being the council of states, do not protect the rights of the states, who will?”
The government argues it wants to give more powers to the commission for the backward classes. “At present the functions of the National Commission for Backward Classes are limited to examining the requests for inclusion of any class of citizens as a backward class and hear complaints of over-inclusion or under-inclusion of any backward class in such lists and tender such advice to the central government,” the minister said.
