Government forms committee to look into sub-categorisation of OBCs; non-Yadav OBCs played a key role in BJP’s victory in UP election.
New Delhi: After successfully exploiting the OBC factor in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, the BJP-led central government is working on realigning the existing caste structure, which could yield electoral benefits for the party in the long run.
Sources told ThePrint that the government will reintroduce the bill to grant constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) in the Lok Sabha during the winter session. A constitutional status would empower the NCBC to hear complaints of OBCs, protect their interests and safeguard their rights
The immediate trigger for this move seems to be the forthcoming Gujarat assembly election where caste has emerged as a key factor. And the Congress is already reaching out to the OBCs through the induction of young leader Alpesh Thakor into its fold.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP got votes from a large chunk of OBC voters, especially non-Yadavs. The party now realises that a non-Yadav OBC vote-bank is a formidable one and might bring electoral success across the country, especially in the states such as Gujarat where OBCs are more than 50 per cent of the population.
The Centre has formed a committee to look into sub-categorisation of OBCs. The move is aimed largely at alienating the prominent OBC groups such as Yadavs, who are known to get higher benefits, and offer more opportunities to smaller communities, which can together form a larger vote-bank within the OBC.
The NCBC Bill was introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha in the monsoon session. The bill was presented in the Rajya Sabha and was passed with certain amendments. This requires the bill to be reintroduced in the Lok Sabha.
The government has also set up a ministerial committee to look into a legislation to criminalise triple talaq and is planning to introduce a bill for the same in the winter session.