Govt reboots quota bill for OBCs

New Delhi: The UPA Government is desperately trying to redraft the private college reservation Bill. After discussions with (Other Backward Classes) OBC leaders on Thursday morning, the government wants to include a separate quota for OBCs as well.

Hectic meetings are going on at the Human Resource Development and Law Ministries so that the draft of the Bill can be made ready before Thursday evening's Cabinet meeting.

The Government wants to bring in a law in the ongoing Parliament session to reserve seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs in private professional colleges, including those that do not take aid from the government.

The OBC leaders insist their class should also get benefits of the reservation Bill.

"We want the reservation to be extended to OBC's as well. Talks are on, that is why the Bill has been deferred," RJD leader Ram Kirpal Yadav said.

However, the Indian Constitution has a definition of the Scheduled Caste, but not for OBC.

Meanwhile, the main Opposition party BJP has announced its support for the Bill but put a rider to it. It wants quotas to be extended to all unaided colleges.

"Minority institutions cannot be kept outside the purview of the Bill. Unaided minority institutions should also provide for reservation," BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said.

While the Government is willing to incorporate the proposal for separate quota for the OBC, it is not willing to accept BJP's demand.

"We met the OBC forum on Thursday and I'll try and incorporate their demands but BJP demands are unreasonable," HRD Minister Arjun Singh said.

The Government insists that minority institutions ? linguistic and religious ? which in effect means the majority of private institutions, should be kept out of the purview of the Bill.

The Supreme Court order that the state can't reserve quotas in private unaided institutions comes into effect from the next academic session.

With only a week for the Winter Session of Parliament to end, the Government might not be keen to refer the matter to the standing committee.

For the Government, this is a promise which was included in the Common Minimum Programme and needs to be implemented as soon as possible.

However, BJP's insistence could become the stumbling block for the passage of the Bill in Parliament. Since it is a Constitution Amendment Bill, the UPA needs the BJPs support to make up for the required two-thirds majority to pass the Bill.

If BJP stands its ground, the government will not be able to get the Bill passed.