Modi expressed surprise at the stand of the opposition as members of all parties had been urging him for bringing the legislation.
Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused opposition parties of blocking the OBC commission Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Congress hit back, saying the House sent the bill to select committee to make it more powerful and ensure benefits reach to more sections.
A deft move by the BJP government, the Bill titled as One Hundred and Twenty-third Amendment of Constitution was aimed to create a National Commission for Backward Classes with constitutional status at par with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. At present the functions of this Commission are limited to examining the requests for inclusion of any class of citizens as a backward class in the lists and hear complaints of over-inclusion or under-inclusion of any backward class in such lists and tender such advice to the Central government. Now, according to new legislation, the Commission will have judicial powers as well. Once the bill becomes law, states will not be able to add or delete castes from the backward classes' list without Parliament's approval.
Modi expressed surprise at the stand of the opposition as members of all parties had been urging him for bringing the legislation. "The bill was passed unanimously in the Lok Sabha but blocked in the Rajya Sabha (by opposition parties). Denying the backward sections their rights with such negative politics is regrettable," Modi told the BJP OBC MPs .
The OBC MPs of the BJP had gathered to thank the Prime Minister for passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha which seeks to create National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes, with judicial powers and constitutional status.
The Rajya Sabha had on Tuesday referred the Constitution (123rd) Amendment Bill, 2017, which has already been passed by the Lok Sabha, to the Select Committee under pressure from the opposition. The ruling NDA does not have a majority in the House. The committee that will examine the bill will be headed by BJP member Bhupender Yadav. It has been asked to submit its report by the last day of the first week of the next session. The 25-member Rajya Sabha Select Committee includes Sharad Yadav, Ram Gopal Yadav, Satish Mishra and Praful Patel.
Congress general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said Rajya Sabha wanted some amendments in the bill to ensure benefits of reservation reach as many people as possible without hurting the interests of existing beneficiaries. Another Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, accused the government of not giving Opposition leaders adequate time to discuss public issues. "We wanted adequate time for discussions, but did not get it. They were going by the speed you see vehicles passing on Delhi-Agra highway," he quipped.
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