The Opposition has backed a constitution amendment measure that would allow states to create their own list of Other Backward Classes. The opposition has been attacking the government on a number of grounds, including the farmers’ protest and the alleged Pegasus spyware incident.
While a constitution modification bill requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament to pass, this will not be an issue now that the Opposition is on board.
“This is a major problem, and we will assist the government on it, as well as advocate for a caste-based census,” said Manoj Sinha of the RJD.
“While the centre is responsible for running Parliament, this bill will provide states the ability to create their own Other Backward Classes (OBC) list,” Mr Sinha remarked.
After the Supreme Court stated definitely in a hearing on the Maratha quota issue in May that only the national government may establish a single list of Other Backward Classes, the cabinet agreed to take up the issue.
According to the court, a statute passed in 2018 gave sole authority to the centre to compile the OBC list. The states could only request inclusion in the list, according to the court.
Once the bill is signed into law, each state and union territory will be able to create their own OBC list, which will be separate from the federal list.
