‘Court will strike down bill on quota to Gujjars, others’
JAIPUR: Rebel BJP MLA in Rajasthan Ghanshyam Tiwari Saturday opposed the Vasundhara Raje government’s decision to raise OBC reservation from 21 to 26 per cent for granting 5 per cent reservation to Gujjars and four other castes, saying it would be struck down by the court.
He said that if the proposed bill is challenged and struck down by the court like the previous SBC reservation bill, all the castes under the OBC would suffer.
“The bill, which the government is going to introduce for increasing OBC quota to grant reservation to Gujjars and other castes, will exceed the 50 per cent legal ceiling.
It may be struck down by the court and if this happens, all the castes getting OBC reservation will suffer,” he said.
Tiwari said that the government should also take initiatives to provide reservation to economically backward people of upper caste.
The government has assured the Gujjar leaders that the OBC quota will be split after increasing it to 26 per cent to grant them 5 per cent reservation.
A bill to this effect will be introduced in the upcoming Monsoon session for which a consensus was arrived at Thursday night at a meeting of the cabinet subcommittee with the Gujjar delegation.
The total reservation in the state stands at 49 per cent at present and this is set to once again crossed the 50 per cent legal ceiling.
In May this year, the state government had issued a notification to re-include five castes of Gujjar/Gurjar, Banjara/ Baldia/Labana, Gadia-Lohar/ Gadalia, Raika/Rebari and Gadaria (Gaadri), in the OBC list. These castes were first included in the OBC list in 1994. NEW DELHI: Lawmakers across party lines and from both Houses of Parliament treat Fridays casually – an analysis of attendance data since 2009 shows – with many of them choosing political engagements in their constituencies over legislation in New Delhi.
On July 25, PM Narendra Modi admonished MPs from his party for putting legislation at risk by not being present in the House at the time bills were taken up.
This year in the RS has seen the lowest attendance (62%) on Fridays since the UPA II came to power in 2009. The average for other days this year has been over 70% which is lower than the 2009-17 average of around 75%
Admitting a problem at hand, the government says going forward there will be more legislative business on Fridays to improve things.
In the just concluded Monsoon session, it was able to get three important bills (the IIMs bill, the RTE amendment bill and the IIPE bill) passed on Fridays in the Lok Sabha where the NDA has a brute majority. Experts say that the actual attendance figures for the second half of the day could be far lower because MPs are expected to sign in the attendance register just once a day and many do not sit through the day’s business.
Data from PRS legislative research — a think tank that closely watches Parliament — shows that business in the RS collapsed thrice this year due to lack of quorum on a Friday.
On July 21, proceedings had to be stopped because when the Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) 2016 bill which had been passed by the LS in March was being discussed for passage in the RS because there were only 22 MPs in the 250 member house. Though minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi rushed out to fetch members, he could only find one MP and the House was adjourned for the day.
A number of MPs Hindustan Times spoke to admitted, on the condition of anonymity, that they leave for their constituencies by Friday afternoon to participate in political engagements.