Rajya Sabha passes promotion quota bill
18 Dec 2012 8:24 AM IST
Despite both Houses witnessing high drama throughout the day, the Rajya Sabha on Monday managed to pass the constitution amendment bill for providing reservation in promotion for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in government jobs.
After a two-day debate, which saw huge protests by members of the Samajwadi Party, the Constitution (One Hundred Seventeenth Amendment) Bill, 2012 was passed with 206 votes cast in favour of the bill and 10 against it of a total 216.
BSP supremo Mayawati had unleashed an attack on Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari on the frequent disruption of the upper house on the issue, which was caused by protests from SP members who disrupted the House on many occasions. Earlier, the government could not even introduce the bill in view of protests by SP members.
On Monday, SP again disrupted both houses of parliament protesting against the bill. The Lok Sabha was disrupted five times and was adjourned till Tuesday. The SP raised this issue as soon as the lower house assembled.
This bill seeks to amend at least four articles of the constitution to enable the government to provide quotas in promotions for SCs and STs, who constitute about 25 percent of the country’s 1.2 billion population. Article 335 of the constitution states that the claims of SCs and STs have to be balanced with maintaining efficiency in administration. The bill states the amendment will override the provision of Article 355. The bill will now be introduced in Lok Sabha.
After a two-day debate, which saw huge protests by members of the Samajwadi Party, the Constitution (One Hundred Seventeenth Amendment) Bill, 2012 was passed with 206 votes cast in favour of the bill and 10 against it of a total 216.
BSP supremo Mayawati had unleashed an attack on Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari on the frequent disruption of the upper house on the issue, which was caused by protests from SP members who disrupted the House on many occasions. Earlier, the government could not even introduce the bill in view of protests by SP members.
On Monday, SP again disrupted both houses of parliament protesting against the bill. The Lok Sabha was disrupted five times and was adjourned till Tuesday. The SP raised this issue as soon as the lower house assembled.
This bill seeks to amend at least four articles of the constitution to enable the government to provide quotas in promotions for SCs and STs, who constitute about 25 percent of the country’s 1.2 billion population. Article 335 of the constitution states that the claims of SCs and STs have to be balanced with maintaining efficiency in administration. The bill states the amendment will override the provision of Article 355. The bill will now be introduced in Lok Sabha.
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