VIJAYAWADA: YSRC Rajya Sabha member V Vijaya Sai Reddy moved a private member’s bill in the upper house on Friday seeking reservation for BCs in legislatures based on their population.
He moved the bill seeking an amendment to the Constitution of India, with an objective to provide social justice to OBCs, which he observed were politically underrepresented.
Putting forth his argument, he said the OBCs constitute more than half of the population of India, but their representation in the legislatures is not on par with their population.
He pointed out that in 1984, the OBC representation in Lok Sabha stood at 11 per cent, while it was 18 per cent in 2009 and below 20 per cent in 2019. “Out of 2,400 communities in OBCs, 2,200 communities were never represented either in Parliament or State Assemblies, which is a shame,” he observed.
Pointing out at AP Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy inducting more than 60 per cent of OBC, SC, ST and Minorities in his cabinet, including five deputy chief ministers, the YSRC MP said the same should be replicated at the Centre and in other States to render social justice for all.
Stating that the objective of his Private Member’s Bill on the subject is to give OBCs reservation in the lawmaking bodies in proportion to their population, he sought amendment to Sec 330 and Sec 332 of the Constitution of India, which provide reservation to SCs and STs in Parliament and State Assemblies.
Mentioning that out of 2,400 communities in OBCs, 1,400 are in abject poverty and subjected to economic and social injustice, he said there has been lack of proper criteria to assess the socio-economic conditions of OBCs.
He even pointed out that though the Kelkar Committee (1953) and Mandal Commission (1978) had made recommendations in this regard, only 2 out of 40 made by them were implemented. The YSRC MP also demanded a legislation for OBCs on the lines of SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.