Lok Sabha passes constitutional amendment to give statutory status to NCBC

As BJP stitches together its OBC-Dalit outreach for 2019, the Maratha challenge could open a Pandora's box

The Lok Sabha on Thursday unanimously passed a constitutional amendment to give statutory status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). With all parties supporting the Bill, the government could push it for passage in the Rajya Sabha next week.

With the passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha, the Narendra Modi government has reached out to the Other Backward Classes, or OBCs, as well as the Dalit communities in the last 48-hours. On Wednesday, the union cabinet had approved a Bill to restore stringent provisions of a law related to preventing atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Tribes.