Modi govt stops Yogi govt from including 17 OBCs in SC

The Modi government on Tuesday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to stop issuing caste certificate under SC category to 17 OBCs.

New Delhi| Yogi government’s recent order of including 17 OBCs in Scheduled Caste category has hit a major roadblock. Well, it is not his political detractors but the Modi government at the centre which is stopping him from doing so.

The central government on Tuesday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to stop issuing caste certificate under the SC category to 17 OBCs. Speaking in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Tawar Chand Gehlot said that the state govt’s move is not only “improper” but also “unconstitutional”.

He also slammed the state government saying that the decision to include the OBCs in SC lists is solely the purview of the parliament. He also said that if the state government wants to do it, it should follow the due procedure.

Also Read: Mayawati attacks UP govt for the inclusion of 17 OBCs in Scheduled Caste list

What was Yogi govt’s order?

Last week the state government had issued a directive to include 17 OBCs in the Scheduled Caste list. They are Nishad, Bind, Mallah, Kewat, Kashyap, Bhar, Dhivar, Batham, Machua, Prajapati, Rajbhar, Kahar, Kumhar, Dhimar, Manjhi, Turaha and Gaudia. The move was supposed to enable these socially and economically backward classes the benefits of the reservation after removing legal irritants. It also aimed at leaving greater space in the OBC quota for the remaining OBC caste groups.

Mayawati slammed Yogi government:

On Monday, BSP chief Mayawati attacked the Yogi Adityanath government for including 17 Other Backward Classes (OBC) in the Scheduled Caste list, terming the move a “big fraud” and demanded its immediate withdrawal. Mayawati claimed that a similar “unconstitutional and illegal” move was made by the previous Samajwadi Party government to cheat these castes, but her party had opposed it even then.