NEW DELHI: As the Centre mulls a radical tweak to “creamy layer” norms for OBCs, the controversial issue is set to notch a first of sorts to its credit. A parliamentary committee chairman, belonging to the ruling BJP, is putting his own government under the microscope.On March 3, Ganesh Singh , who heads the committee on welfare of other backward classes, asked a question to Union social justice ministry about the vexed issue of “salary” being included in the “gross income” of OBCs working in PSUs for determining the “creamy layer”. In answer, the government gave a safe reply narrating the factual position.While the 1993 Office Memorandum of DoPT lays down that “salaries” will not be included in “gross income”, the Centre over last six years has been doing so in case of backwards working in PSUs while steering clear of “salary” in case of OBCs employed in state and central governments. Delhi and Madras high courts earlier slammed the practice as “discriminatory”.An MP from Madhya Pradesh belonging to Mandal classes, Singh’s probing query to social justice ministry would not have attracted attention but for one crucial fact. As chairman of the committee on welfare of OBCs, he gave a report on “rationalisation of creamy layer” in March 2019 in wh- ich he discussed in detail the issue of “discriminatory” application of “creamy layer” norms. The panel’s recommendations categorically stated that a uniform policy of leaving out “salary” from “gross income” should be followed for all OBCs.Viewed as intractable, the issue is being fought in the Supreme Court by successful UPSC candidates, including IAS, who were categorised as “creamy layer” and left out.As a political observer said, it is rare for a committee chairman to ask a question in Parliament on the issue he has dealt with in his panel.But that is not all. Now, the “committee on welfare of OBCs” has convened a meeting on March 19 to discuss the action taken by the Centre on its report on “rationalisation of creamy layer”.What renders the controversy more interesting is that the Centre, to simplify the 1993 OM, recently moved a proposal that “salary” be included in “gross income” of all categories of OBCs — employed in governments or PSUs. The proposal has kicked up a row as backwards believe the step would more easily put an OBC in the “creamy layer” bracket, thereby pushing out more backwards from the ambit of job reservations.Now, the OBC panel may probe the ministry on the new proposal and put the government in the dock.