Opposition: Govt rectifying ‘gross error’ that led to SC setback

NEW DELHI: The opposition weighed in on the government during passage of the bill to restore to the states the right to draw up state OBC lists, asserting the Centre is “rectifying”, through the proposed amendment, a “gross error” it committed earlier which resulted in an adverse Supreme Court ruling.
The move to restore powers of state governments, opposition MPs said, was done keeping in mind electoral compulsions, especially ahead of the impending assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and also accused the Centre of ignoring warnings during earlier discussions in Parliament.
The Constitutional Amendment Bill, which ended, at least temporarily, a three-week-long disruption of Parliament over the Pegasus snooping case and the farm laws, saw Congress member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury supporting the legislation but criticising the government for its 2018 law as a mistake that could have been avoided had the government listened to suggestions made by the opposition.
As many opposition parties demanded that the SCimposed 50% ceiling on quotas be dismantled, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav warned that the government could ignore OBC and Dalit sentiments at its peril. He also BJP was in office due to the support of these classes and would be nowhere without them.
The call to do away with the 50% ceiling was echoed by DMK MPs T R Baalu and Dayanidhi Maran and Akhilesh Yadav and BJP ally Apna Dal. Akhilesh alleged that BJP gave false assurances to Dalits and backward classes and demanded a caste-based census and a removal of the 50% ceiling to accommodate backward and poorer sections from all communities.
BSP’s Ritesh Pandey also said the government should conduct a socio-economic caste census. AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi accused the government of pursuing electoral politics and said it should publish empirical data of backwardness in order to give true justice to OBCs.
NCP’s Supriya Sule sought to give credit for the amendment bill to the Maharashtra government saying its advocacy with the PM had worked. Sule demanded that caste related data be released and said the legislation should address the 50% ceiling without which the amendment will not fully resolve the issue. YSR Congress Party and Shiv Sena also voiced support for the bill.
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said the government should desist from taking credit for the amendment because the concept of equality before the law is enshrined in the Contitution. “This is an obligation of every state and the Centre. No grace is being given.”