At its first meeting, the committee decided, after a stormy debate that these terms of reference, which ask government to consider reservations for OBCs are to be kept as an addition as minorities continue to be the framework for discussions.
"We will also have a presentation by the secretary for Panchayati Raj ministry on June 10th to demonstrate the working model of reservation for women at panchayat levels and also the manner in which various state governments have managed to address the quota within quota issue," he said.
Earlier, clashes between supporters and opponents of the Bill were pretty much the order of the meeting with sources saying that members from the RJD and the SP were in the forefront against the measure in its present form while a few other leaders including Brinda Karat of CPI(M) and Jayanti Natarajan of Congress vociferously came out in its support. The reference to the 1996 select committee report has come as a surprise to many.
The Committee has already written to five national parties and 42 regional parties to give their views on the Bill. The Committee has decided to visit Chennai for three days from June 22, Kolkata for two days from June 25 and Mumbai for two days from June 27 to enable political parties to give their opinion on the issue.
The Committee would meet in Delhi on June 17 and 18 to hear the views of political parties in the northern region on the Bill. The Committee has been asked to give its report within three months. Other members of the committee include Najma Heptullah of the BJP, Brinda Karat of the CPI(M), Jayanti Natarajan of the Congress, and Devendra Prasad Yadav of the RJD.
The Bill, introduced in Rajya Sabha on the last day of the Budget session of Parliament, was referred to the Committee.