lauding the Narendra Modi Government’s Constitutional Amendment Bill according constitutional status to the Backward Classes Commission and describing the step as “historic”, the BJP National Executive on Sunday condemned the Congress and other Opposition parties for blocking the legislation in the Rajya Sabha and “preaching social justice but practicing vote-bank politics”.
In a resolution, the party said the Constitutional Amendment Bill, introducing the National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes in the Constitution, would “deliver justice to 52 per cent economically and socially backward communities.”
The resolution was moved by party MP Hukum Dev Singh and supported by Chief Ministers of Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh Raghubar Das and Shivraj Singh Chouhan respectively, as well as Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Though the lok Sabha has passed the OBC Commission Bill, it has been sent to a Select Committee by the Rajya Sabha where Opposition parties, mainly the Congress, have claimed that some of its clauses affected the federal structure of the country.
“This historic decision taken by the Central Government will go a long way in ensuring delivery of justice to all sections of our society. With the award of the Constitutional status to the National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes, it will become as powerful as the National Commission for Schedule Castes and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes,” the BJP said.
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, who briefed the newspersons, said the amendment Bill was blocked in the Rajya Sabha even though all the OBC MPs, including those from the Congress and other Opposition parties, had assured the Prime Minister of backing it in the Upper House.
The BJP said the Congress and regional parties are disappointed “and their frustration is so obvious” as they did not deliver on their promise of social justice despite being in power for so long. “The way Congress has opposed the move in the Rajya Sabha shows their real attitude towards backward classes,” the party said referring to the alleged non-implementation of the suggestions of the Kaka Kalelkar Commission (1950) and the Mandal Commission (1979).
The Modi Government, Javadekar said, has taken this step to bring in equality in society. “The people who have been sidelined for long should now get their due in society. It is not right to oppose such decision only for politics,” said the BJP.
The party asked its workers and “every social institution” to make people aware of “the historic step and ensure equal opportunities to the people of backward classes.”
In a political resolution passed by the meeting on Saturday night, the party highlighted the fact that party’s victory percentage has increased by leaps and bounds in many States. It cited that even in the State of Manipur, its vote percentage, which used to be two per cent, has now jumped to 30 per cent. The resolution said people were now voting for “performance” and not for “caste, creed and religion”.
“The people voted for the BJP in 2014 on hope which has now transformed into people’s confidence as is reflected in the poll verdict of recent Assembly polls, including those in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur,” the resolution said.
“Results of the recently held Assembly elections in five States across the country has established Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi as the most effective and popular leader after Independence. His popularity among the people of India has confirmed that he is the most admired and respected leader since the time of Independence,” it said.