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Congress does balancing act over job quota
bill
Tuesday December 11, 2012 05:38:57 PM,
IANS
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New Delhi: Finding
itself in a "complex" situation, the Congress is doing a fine
balancing act in trying to resolve the Rajya Sabha deadlock over
the bill on reservations for the Scheduled Castes and the
Scheduled Tribes in job promotions and says it hopes for a
positive result.
"It (resolving the deadlock) is a complex issue, but we are
committed to the cause of social justice," Congress spokesperson
P.C. Chacko said.
Both the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP),
which "helped" the government win the FDI in retail vote in
parliament last week, have diametrically opposite stands on the
bill.
The bill is possibly the next acid test for the government with
the SP opposed to it and the BSP for it.
Since it is a constitution amendment bill, it would require a
two-thirds majority - which the Congress-led United Progressive
Alliance does not have either in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha.
It would thus need all the support it can muster.
Government sources said they were talking to the SP to convince
it.
"The two parties offer us issue-based support.. we hope to resolve
the issue," said a Congress MP in the upper house while expressing
the hope that the party would be able to bring the SP on board. He
said the two parties may have different views on the bill but that
does not mean a solution cannot be found.
The SP is, however, determined to continue with its protest on the
bill and not to let it get passed.
"We will oppose it and ask the government to remove disputed
issues from the list of business to let the house function," SP
leader Naresh Agarwal said.
"This is dividing society. The general, the backwards, all other
classes will be affected with this reservation. How can you
benefit one by taking away rights of others," he asked.
The Rajya Sabha has seen several adjournments this session over
differences on the bill.
BSP chief Mayawati has accused the BJP of stalling the Rajya Sabha
because it did not want the bill to be passed.
"Today (Monday) this bill was to come. But it's sad that to stop
this bill, the BJP and company raised the FDI lobbying issue,"
Mayawati said.
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said his party was all for social
justice but within constitutional parameters.
"All classes of society, whether it is SC, backward classes, or
minorities, should come into the mainstream," BJP leader Mukhtar
Abbas Naqvi said.
The bill was listed in the Rajya Sabha and was to be taken up
Monday. Now, it will have to be rescheduled.
About the Bill
The Constitution (One hundred and seventeenth) Amendment Bill,
introduced in Rajya Sabha Sep 4, seeks to amend at least four
articles of the constitution to enable the government to provide
quotas in promotions for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled
Tribes who constitute roughly 25 percent of the country's 1.2
billion population.
It seeks to remove the term 'inadequate representation' mentioned
in Article 16(4A) to justify quotas in promotions and
appointments. It also delinks the term 'efficiency of
administration' from the claims of SC and ST for jobs and
promotions, mentioned in Article 335.
Article 335 of the constitution states that the claims of the SC
and ST have to be balanced with maintaining efficiency in
administration. The bill states the amendment will override the
provision of Article 355.
The Bill provides that all the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes notified in the constitution shall be deemed to be
backward.
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