Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

The Rajya Sabha faced six hours of an enraged debate during the Monsoon session on Monday over the amendment in the 123rd bill, granting constitutional status to the Other Backward Castes (OBC) Commission.

The Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2017 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Mr. Thaawarchand Gehlot on April 5, 2017. The bill sought the constitutional status be granted to the National Commission on Backward Classes (NCBC). After being passed by Lok Sabha the bill came to the upper house on Monday. The oppositions demanded an amendment in the bill seeking to increase the number of members in the OBC commission from three to five, including a woman and a minority candidate of OBC category.

After a heated discussion for over six hours, with the government accusing the Opposition of not being in favour of reservation for backward classes, the amendment in the bill was passed in Rajya Sabha with 75 MPs supporting and 52 rejecting it. BJP MPs were missing despite repeated warnings by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the past. According to an official Modi has asked for the list of all those MPs who were absent during the proceedings of the house.

The Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2017, will now go back to the Lok Sabha.