DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Saturday said the proposal to empower the President to notify the list of socially and educationally backward classes of States and Union Territories would amount to appropriating the powers of States.
The Centre has decided to insert an article 342 (A) in the Constitution to achieve the purpose. But Mr Stalin said it would pave way for the Centre usurping the role of State governments in preparing the list.
The Lok Sabha has already passed Constitution 123rd Amendment Bill, 2017, which seeks to give constitutional status to National Commission for Backward Classes.
“Though it is a welcome step, we cannot accept the proposal that would deprive the State governments of their powers. So far only the State governments have decided inclusion of a community in the list of Backward Classes and the nine-member Bench of the Supreme Court in the Mandal Commission case also confirmed the right,” Mr. Stalin said in a statement.
Pointing out that the Centre had motives in inserting the Article in the Constitution, Mr. Stalin said the move had actually confirmed the anti-reservation views of the BJP leaders.
“On the one hand, the BJP talks about federalism, and on the other, it seeks to reduce a State government to the level of a municipality. If the Centre prepares the list of BCs, it poses a question on the list already followed in various States. Even though the Centre’s list tally with the lists of States, it varies as far as Tamil Nadu is concerned,” he said.
Mr. Stalin said if the Centre was allowed to prepare the list, it would deny Tamil Nadu youth the opportunity to get Central government jobs. “The Centre should also explain the status of the Backward Classes Commissions in various States,” he said.
