Barring Samajwadi Party, an overwhelming majority in the Rajya Sabha passed the Bill that provides for quotas for SCs and STs in government job promotions. The constitution amendment Bill was approved by 194 members in the 245-strong House. Nine from Samajwadi Party and an independent voted against the Bill.
The Bill is now likely to be introduced and moved for consideration and passing in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The proposed legislation was the reason for the Lok Sabha being unable to transact any business during the day.
While the Bill was being debated in Rajya Sabha, Samajwadi Party Members repeatedly disrupted the functioning of the Lok Sabha with party President Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has threatened to review support to the UPA, leading the protest in the House. In between adjournments, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath attempted to assuage Mr. Yadav’s apprehensions but to no avail. Congress MPs tried to counter the SP by raising counter slogans demanding the Bill be introduced in the Rajya Sabha at the earliest.
In the Rajya Sabha, besides voting against the Bill, SP urged reservation in jobs for Muslims by referring to the Justice (Retd.) Rajender Sachar Committee report that said their plight was worse than that of Dalits.
In his reply to the debate, Minister of State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy said the government had incorporated some elements like a 22 per cent cap on promotions for which consideration of Annual Confidential Report (ACR) will be crucial. Mr. Narayanasamy gave out figures to assert that discrimination against the SCs/STs and OBCs was rampant.
He was amenable to Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley’s suggestion to ensure the amendments will not affect those who have already been promoted since 1995.
Keywords: Rajya Sabha, quota bill, Samajwadi Party, SC/ST bill, promotion quota
Even though majority of our politicians are against this bill no one has the guts to speak against it in the open or vote against it. Nobody actually wants to uplift the SCs/STs. All they want to do is give away freebies and keep them socially backward for centuries to come and use this as a political card to win elections. Such policies will not only make SC/ST stop fighting against injustices meted out to them but they will stop working hard to succeed in life. Please note that atrocities against backward classes will only be on rise after such bills.
There was a reservation for SCs/STs at the recruitment stage, now at the promotion stage too. Even the existing Indian bureaucracy below JS level is already most incompetent and uninformed in the world. With the induction of this reservation for the incompetent and less education, the Indian bureaucracy will get infected up to the top level and suffer itself and make the country suffer to an unlimited extent. The politics of vote in India has created the bureaucracy of vote too. Let us wait and watch the future of the county!
It is unfortunate that political parties always politicise any issue brought up in the parliament and analyse it from the angle of how many net votes they will get by opposing or supporting it.
It may be noted that none of the party, except BSP, has come up near the core issue or the origin of the issue of harassment, exploitation, inhuman treatment metted out to SCs. for billions of years.
Is it possible to improve or repair genes destroyed fo billions of years in just 65 years? So the reservation in for SCs in its proposed form. Those who oppose it should blame their forefathers for their sin of treating a human as untouchable for billions of years.
Great keep it up...Mayavathi. You are going to ruin India.
That is why corruption is rampant in our country because those who are
undeserving gain positions of power and authority and so have no
appreciation for hard work and fair means.
Attorney General had already conveyed his opinion that the Constitutional amendment proposed is likely to be struck down by the apex Court. But the MOS had not made any mention about this and ways and means to overcome this hurdle
It is simply another ploy by the politicians of our country to appease
the vote bank. Why not work at roots and try to remove the very cause
of backwardness of SC/ST/OBC. What that is required is change in
mindsets of people and particularly of these politicians. Reservations
in promotion as well, will simply increase the hatred among the
general category who already feel that the merit is compromised during
selection because of reservations. None of the parties has seriously
made effort to help these people. It is high time that our so called
representatives truly work for the nation.For this best point to start
is to effectively implement RTE Act, so that the very need of
reservation at higher level of studies and in public employment can be
negated by providing the backward classes an opportunity to demand
their right on the basis of merit rather than some act of generosity.
Moreover, for the time being, the concept of not allowing reservation
for creamy layer should be implemented.
It has been pointed out in the middle of this article that there has
been discrimination against OBCs too and they have been inadequately
represented in the top posts of bureaucracy. But then why is that they
haven't been included for this reservation?
This is really insane. If we keep on giving priority based on caste,
tribe and region in every small aspect, we are suppressing our
development. We can never become a developed nation like this. I agree
that we need to create opportunities for backward through reservation,
but not for promotions. Reservation should be only to provide social
sustainability. I think without promotion also they already have
sustainability.
Today there is no limit on the number of generations of SC/ST in a particular family. So member grows up 'reserved', gets a job 'reserved', has the best education for the next generation - that too 'reserved', the next generation gets a job - again 'reserved', and the cycle goes on. Today, people take advantage of the system. Ultimately the people who remain backward, who should be worthy of reservations are denied the chance of development. Unless a system of review of the SC/ST status is introduced into the system, the reservation process is going to remain skewed; and the development the each successive government aims to capture, will remain elusive.
The purpose of reservation was to bring the unequal at equal platform. With this
bill now the person who joined the job by performing better against categories and
occupied a job will junior to person who had performed less at the time of joining.
How many time a person can get benefit of reservation. Is there any mechanism to
control this because one side a guy is taking advantage of reservation from getting
admission in collage to promotion in job and other side the person of same categories
still struggling for getting any advantage from reservation.
It will definetly going to affect the performance of government in coming
days.though a huge vote bank politics was a major force to push the bill but long
term it will devide the society further and advantage will go to only those party who
are 100 percent running by support of these categories.
Please Email the Editor