Conspiracy being hatched against backwards: Ram Gopal Yadav

Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav on Tuesday alleged a "deep conspiracy" behind changing the name of the National Commission for Backward Classes and said the government was running away from discussion on the subject.

"There is a deep conspiracy behind changing the name of the Backward Classes Commission. Now the government will decide which castes would remain in the backward category, and that too without any survey," Yadav told reporters outside Parliament.

The government has said that the National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes would replace the National Commission for Backward Classes.

The Rajya Sabha has been seeing repeated adjournments over the issue since Monday. On Tuesday, too, the upper House was adjourned over the issue.

"There is a conspiracy in this against a large section of population, against the backwards," he added.

Yadav said the backward castes were decided on the basis of an extensive survey by the Mandal Commission, but the present government wants to deprive certain castes of the benefits of reservation.

He said the Narendra Modi government has not been making new appointments to the vacant posts in various Commissions for the marginalised, such as the Backward Classes Commission and National Minorities Commission.

"There are no chairpersons, no members in many of these Commissions for a long time now. We are asking the government when these positions will be filled and why the name of the Commission has been changed. We want a discussion on these issues but the government is not ready for discussion. Hence there is disruption in the House," Yadav said.