UPA government favours quota in job promotion, Samajwadi Party opposes move

New Delhi: The government has said that it is in favour of reservation for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs) in job promotions. Following the all-party meeting on the issue, Minister of State for PMO V Narayanasamy said that the government was ready to bring in constitutional amendments on the issue.

The minister, however, said that no time frame had been set for the implementation of the quota.

Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the all-party meeting that the government would bring legally-sustainable amendment very soon to provide quota to SCs and STs in government job promotions.

The Prime Minister told the all-party meeting that government would bring legally-sustainable amendment very soon.

Supporting the move, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said even her party had asked the government to amend the Constitution to provide the quota.

Following the meeting, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister further said, "Almost every party in the meeting supported the decision."

In the meeting, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan also requested the government to bring a bill for the reservation of SCs and STs in promotion of jobs.

Speaking to mediapersons, the LJP chief said that while there was no opposition from any party on the issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted more time for discussion on the issue.

The BJP, meanwhile, said that it would take a decision on the issue only after seeing the bill.

However, the opposition for the government on the issue came from the Samajwadi Party, which supports the UPA government. The party claimed that the proposed bill would only add to the existing inequality.

The Bill will be taken up in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

(With Additional Inputs from PTI)

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