Amid deadlock over the snooping issue, 10 odd opposition parties, which are working together in Parliament, are set to support the Modi government’s constitutional amendment bill, which will empower states and union territories to make their own list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
With the support of around 15 opposition parties including the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government will now have a cakewalk in passing the bill in Parliament, which has entered into the last week of the ongoing monsoon session.
This comes amid the so-called United Opposition aiming to corner the ruling dispensation on a number of issues including the Pegasus spyware and farm laws.
Speaking to the media, Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge said, “The Constitutional Bill is going to be tabled in Parliament today. The leaders of all opposition parties will be supporting this bill. We stand with all backward communities and for their benefit, we are supporting this bill.”
A law passed in 2018 had stated only the Centre can make a list of OBCs and any state or union territory can only ask for an inclusion in the list.
After the new law, any state or union territory can make its own list, which may or may not contradict with the Centre’s list.
