Government silent on removing 50% cap even as OBC bill gets nod

NEW DELHI: The bill to restore the right of state governments to draw up their own OBC lists for reservations in jobs and educational institutes was unanimously passed by Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, even as the government remained non-committal about calls to remove the 50% ceiling on quotas and a caste-based census.
The Constitution (127th Amendment) Bill, which was also passed unanimously by Lok Sabha on Tuesday, and will now become law after the President’s assent, was eventually passed after a division vote with 187 members voting in its favour and none against. The treasury benches and opposition parties tried to score political points during the over five-hour debate, which also saw many opposition members demanding removal of the 50% cap, a caste-based census and even reservations in the private sector.
BJP accused Congress for not doing enough for SCs, STs and OBCs despite being in office for decades. The opposition, while welcoming the bill, said BJP was eyeing the forthcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh and other states, and had even used “kamandal” against the “Mandal” (commission) in the past. BJP members like Sushil Kumar Modi, Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhupender Yadav, among others, questioned the failure of successive Congress governments to empower SCs, STs, OBCs and economically-weaker sections.
The government understands the “sentiments” behind the calls for removal of the 50% cap, imposed by the Supreme Court 30 years ago, but it will need to be studied and discussed further, social justice minister Virender Kumar said.