Biggest opposition to Backward Classes came from Congress, says Amit Shah in Lok Sabha

New Delhi [India], December 7 : New Delhi [India], December 7 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday attacked the Congress and said the "biggest opposition" to the Backward Classes and the work of "stopping" them has been done by the main opposition party.
Replying to debate on two bills related to Jammu and Kashmir in the Lok Sabha, Amit Shah apparently also attacked Rahul Gandhi who repeatedly accused the BJP of not caring for OBCs in his rallies in the assembly polls. BJP won Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the results announced earlier this month. Congress won Telangana and ZPM won Mizoram.
"There are some leaders who repeat for six months what is handed out to them. If any one party has opposed the backward classes most and stopped them, then it's the Congress party. The Backward Classes Commission was not given constitutional recognition for 70 years, Narendra Modi government gave constitutional recognition to the Backward Classes Commission," Amit Shah said.
Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 were passed by Lok Sabha.
The Union Home Minister said that the Congress never worked to provide reservations to backward classes under the Central Admission Scheme.
He also alleged that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, while in opposition, had opposed the implementation of the Mandal Commission Report.
"Today I want to ask who withheld the report of the Kakasaheb Kalekar Commission. The people of the country should know that. The Mandal Commission report was not implemented until they (the Congress) went out of power. And even when it was implemented, Late Rajiv Gandhi, while in the opposition, opposed it. And today they are talking about backward class. The Congress never worked to provide reservations to backward classes under the Central Admission Scheme. Only the BJP did it under the leadership of PM Modi," he said.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 26, 2023. It amends the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act of 2004.
The Act provides for reservation in jobs and admission in professional institutions to members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other socially and educationally backward classes.
Shah said that the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, pertains to bringing justice to those against whom injustice was done.
"The Bill that I have brought here pertains to bringing justice to and providing rights to those against whom injustice was done, who were insulted and those who were ignored. In any society, those who are deprived should be brought forward. That is the basic sense of the Constitution of India. But they have to be brought forward in a way that doesn't reduce their respect. There is a huge difference between giving rights and giving rights respectfully. So, instead of weak and deprived category, renaming it Other Backward Class is important," he said.
The Union minister said that during the era of terrorism after the 1980s, several families were forced to migrate from Jammu and Kashmir and live as refugees in their own country.
Referring to the exodus of Kasmhiri Pandits from Kashmir, Shah also made a veiled dig at former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah.
"There was an era of terrorism after the 1980s. Those who lived on the land as their country, were thrown out and no one cared about them. Those responsible for stopping it were enjoying vacations in England. When Kashmiris were displaced, they were forced to live as refugees in their country," Shah said.
He said that, as per figures, around 46,631 families and 1,97,967 people were displaced in their own country. "This bill is to give them rights and representation," he added.
One of the bills seeks to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004. It was enacted to provide for reservation in appointment and admission in professional institutions for the members of the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and other socially and educationally backward classes.
The bill seeks to amend section 2 of the Reservation Act to change the nomenclature of "weak and under privileged classes (social castes)" to "other backward classes" and make consequential amendments.
The other bill seeks to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
The Act amended the Second Schedule of the 1950 Act to specify the total number of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly.
The proposed Bill increases the total number of assembly seats and reserves seven seats for Scheduled Castes and nine seats for Scheduled Tribes.
It seeks to insert new sections 15A and 15B in the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 to nominate not more than two members, one of whom shall be a woman, from the community of "Kashmiri Migrants" and one Member from "Displaced Persons from Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir", to the Jammu and Kashmir assembly.
The House began on the two bills on Tuesday. Twenty-nine members participated in the debate on the bills.