All-party meeting on promotion quota Aug 21

New Delhi  :  An all-party meeting to discuss reservation in job promotions will be held Aug 21, the government said Thursday.

The government would also try to table a bill on the issue Aug 22.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice over the issue of the Supreme Court quashing reservations in government job promotions to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Uttar Pradesh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office V. Narayanasamy said they would try to bring a bill on it Aug 22.

The move comes after Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) members disrupted the proceedings in the house over the issue.

BSP chief Mayawati raised the issue as soon as the house met, blaming the central government for not taking action as promised.

Even though Narayanasamy promised that a meeting would be called in the current session, BSP members continued their protests and moved near House Chairman Hamid Ansari’s podium.

The protests restarted when the house again met at noon, leading to a 15-minute adjournment.

However, when the house met again at 12.22 p.m., Narayanasamy announced the date of the meeting, which pacified the members.

“The prime minister will call a meeting of all party leaders on 21st of this month as has been demanded by the whole house. We will try to bring a bill on 22nd,” Narayanasamy said.

The Supreme Court had in April overruled the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to provide reservations in government job promotions. The BSP, which was then in government, had raised the issue in the budget session of parliament demanding a constitutional amendment to provide for such quotas.

An all-party meeting was promised that time but not convened.