Oppn demands caste-based census, removal of 50% cap as OBC bill is passed

New Delhi: 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.

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.

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.

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Seventh Amendment) Bill 2021.

This Bill was passed by a two-third 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. – IANS