Spokesperson: Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi: He said that friends, this is a rather funny story. If it did not have tragic consequences. It would be comic. It is a case of trying to shut the stable doors, long after horses and every other occupant of that stable door has bolted. What is worse, it is trying to give a terrific spin to fool the people of India by congratulating the BJP led Government and the Prime Minister of this country for passing constitutional amendment to create a constitutional level Commission for Backward Classes.

Therein lies, a concealment and a story which I want to tell you very briefly, what really happened and how the spin is being given. As you know this government August 11, 2018, to be précis, passed a constitutional amendment with the full support of the opposition. That constitutional amendment gave and created a constitutional level OBC Commission at the national level, no problem, but, in the debate something very interesting happened. Speaker after speaker (the names are published in the debate of the opposition) said that we are the ones who want this, we are the ones who are supporting it. For God’s sake, make sure that by chance, by inadvertence, by mistake, by overlooking, by oversight, it does not happen that the established power of the state, at the state level, ‘Pradeshik Star Par’, to recommend names for inclusion, butto include names and make their own state list, so the state will have its own state list of OBCs that should not go away. Those are clear apprehensions in black and white in debate in parliament. The funny part is that, that the then Minister Mr. Gehlot, several BJP members, including the then MP and now Minister Mr. Bhupender Yadav agreed, as everybody in the house agreed that it is not the intention to take away the state’s right. You are quite right in making this apprehension, but then what happened- Your ‘Zid’, your obstinacy, your negligence, your lack of care to attention and detail, you did not add a two-line clarification that the creation of a national Commission does not mean that the states will not have its list of inclusion or exclusion at the state level.

Now, unfortunately your blunder is costing the country dear. You can keep calling the glass one quarter full, but what about the 3 quarters that are empty? So, please look at the mirror. Remember Iqbal’s words, that for the mistakes of a few, history will not forgive an entire era & an entire generation. Jaisa Ki Apko Maloom Hai- ‘Lamhon Ne Khata Ki, Sadiyon Ne Saja Payi’. Don’t forget, that this is a mirror to you, and you are covering up the mirror. You are misleading the people of this country. Do not live in a false sense of ego. Do not befool the people with self-congratulatory press conferences, which are comic, because they are hiding a blunder, so, you are congratulating for what, I don’t know. Saturday, July 31, 2021