Will pressurise Centre to change OBC Bill, need caste-based census: Sharad Pawar

“The amendment is similar to inviting people to a banquet and then tying their hands and asking them to eat. This is cheating the OBC community. There is need for a caste-based census in the country,” Pawar said at a press conference on Monday.

He added, “We will pressurise the Centre to make changes to this amendment. The issue was not discussed seriously in Parliament. A lot of MPs have not understood the ramifications of this amendment.”

The veteran NCP leader also claimed that a section of BJP leaders are in favour of a caste-based consensus, but need more courage to voice their opinion before Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“A section within the BJP seems to be in favour of a caste-based census…I hope that the numbers of such members within the party will increase in the coming days. BJP members need to cultivate the courage to speak and voice their opinion before PM Modi. I am hopeful this will happen in the coming few days,” Pawar said.

The Constitution (127th Amendment) Bill, 2021, giving back states the power to make their own list of OBCs by identifying and notifying socially and educationally backward classes, was passed recently with a 187-0 majority in the Rajya Sabha.

Even though no member had objected to the Bill, the Opposition raised certain concerns about the absence of a caste census and raised a demand to remove the 50-per cent cap on states for reservations.

The development, coupled with PM Modi’s reference to extending reservations for OBCs during his Independence Day speech, comes at a time when the Centre has been ducking a growing demand for a caste census, not just from Opposition parties but also from allies and a section within.

Though the BJP has maintained a cautious silence on the issue, many of its OBC MPs had told The Indian Express that the matter will be a political hot potato and cannot be sidelined for long. The OBC MPs have attributed the government’s reluctance to “apprehensions about possible social repercussions” including violence; one leader pointed out “practical and pragmatic” difficulties; some blamed “influential upper-caste leaders and bureaucrats” for stonewalling it; and some said the Centre anyway has empowered states to do their own caste census.

Speaking on the ruckus in the Parliament during the Monsoon Session, Pawar said, “Seven ministers were fielded by the Centre to ask for tough action against opposition MPs. The fact that the Centre had to deploy seven ministers to justify its actions shows that they are on weak ground in this issue. Never in my parliamentary career spanning over 50 years have I seen 40 Marshals being deployed at a single time.”

On the developments in Afghanistan, he said India needs a long-term strategy to deal with the crisis. “We had good relations with most of our neighbours. However, the dynamics have changed with Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka now. We need to asses our foreign policy with our immediate neighbours. India has had problems with Pakistan and China. Afghanistan is a new front that has opened up now. We need to have a long term strategy to address  this issue,” he said.

(With inputs from Zeeshan Shaikh)