Constitutional status to NCBC: A milestone for OBCs' empowerment, says Hukumdev

Granting constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) is a major milestone towards empowering downtrodden in the country, said BJPs' key OBC leader Hukumdev Narayan Yadav.

Last week, Rajya Sabha passed the Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill 2017 to provide constitutional status to the NCBC that will give the panel full powers to safeguard the rights and interests of the Other Backward Classes(OBCs). It was cleared by the Lok Sabha on August 2 superseding the amendments earlier carried out by the Upper House.

In a free wheeling conversation with the PTI-Bhasha, he answered five questions on the issue.

Q.1 How do you view granting constitutional status to NCBC?

Ans: It was an old demand. Had it had been formed earlier like the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) and National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), the social condition of backward classes in the country would have been different.

 

Thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our government has taken an important initiative and it will be a major milestone in social, economic, educational, political, and cultural empowerment of the large population of the OBCs in the country.

Q.2 What are the benefits of constitutional status to NCBC?

Ans: After the constitutional status, the NCBC will get all the rights which are already available to NCST and NCSC. The step will ensure suitable power and authority to the commission to redress the grievances of the OBC employees in government and private sectors.

One can register one's grievances to the NCBC through mail also and the commission will acknowledge the complaint and act accordingly.

Q.3 Will OBCs' problems end following grant of constitutional status to NCBC?

Ans: OBC means Originator, Builder, and Creator. Majority of OBC people live in villages, they are farmers, masons, sculptors. They are the idol makers, people worship the idols but idol makers were forgotten.

Now, Modi has endeavoured to give respect and honour to the community. Once the downtrodden are empowered and united, the whole country would be benefitted.

Q.4 What are your views on reservation?

Ans: I am the supporter of reservation policy. In the 70's, we along with socialist leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur went to erstwhile Home Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh for reservation. Hence Mandal commission was formed under the chairmanship of Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal, who submitted the report on December 3, 1980, but it took nearly 10 years to implement its recommendations.

Had its recommendations been adhered to at that time, the situation would have been different.

However, Modi government has done a commendable job by giving constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) and restoring the original provisions of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocity) Act.

Q.5 Has the BJP done it to get political mileage?

Ans: The BJP has worked to give respect to the downtrodden, so the party will be definitely benefitted. For long, the backward classes have been deprived of their fundamental rights and now with the government taking an initiative to safeguard their interests, the community will surely reward the BJP.