House panel chief says didn’t intend to question Modi government commitment to OBC welfare
BJP MP Ganesh Singh had earlier told The Hindu that the issue of establishing equivalence of posts and the equal application of the income test for OBC reservation appeared to be stuck between two Union Ministries
Parliamentary Committee chief Ganesh Singh clarified on Saturday that his earlier remarks about questioning the Modi government's commitment to OBC welfare were not intended to do so. The controversy erupted a day after Singh told The Hindu that establishing equivalence of posts and applying the income test uniformly for OBC reservation was stuck between two Union ministries.
Singh clarified that his reference was to seek clarity and uniformity on technical and administrative aspects to prevent eligible candidates from facing difficulties. He emphasized that his remarks were not a comment on the government's commitment to OBC welfare. The stalemate between the ministries stemmed from a 2004 letter issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) that obfuscated the issue, according to Singh.
The Supreme Court, in a March ruling, criticized the DoPT for "hostile discrimination" in applying the income test differently to OBC candidates depending on their parents' employment status. The Court directed the government to create supernumerary posts for affected OBC candidates in six months. Singh's office later clarified that the committee had already submitted its views on the matter, and the government and the concerned ministry were still considering the issue.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
