Oppn uproar in RS over vacancies in ST & SC panels

The Opposition on Tuesday paralysed the Rajya Sabha with repeated protests accusing the government of not doing anything for the protection of Minorities, Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).

After five adjournments, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien suspended the House for the day shortly after 3pm when the Opposition rejected his plea for a discussion on the issue on Wednesday afternoon only if they end their protest and allow completion of the discussion on the pending Finance Bill that began on Monday.

The Opposition’s protest was aimed at the government for not appointing chairmen and members of various commissions for protecting the minorities, SCs, STs and OBCs, ignoring the minister’s plea that the appointments have been either made or were under process.

When the Opposition led by Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati demanded that these communities constituting 85% of the population had no forum to seek protection of their rights, Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said that he could not understand the diktats raised by those who were reduced to a minority in the elections.

Naidu asserted that all commissions were functioning and there were secretaries to conduct their day-to-day functioning. He said the process of filling up the posts were on and would be filled soon. Accusing the Opposition of misleading the country, he said they lost the mandate in the recent assembly polls.

Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad wanted a debate on the issue to expose the government ‘s reluctance in the development of the minority, SC, ST and OBC communities. He challenged the Centre to set up the commissions in a week .

Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot intervened to assert that it was wrong that all commissions were lying vacant as he said the chairman and the vicechairman of the National Commission for STs has been already appointed.

Mayawati said the commissions protecting the interest of 80-85% population have been put in the cold storage or else why the posts were kept vacant for so long. She wanted the government to spell out the time limit to fill up the vacancies.

Ramgopal Yadav saw a conspiracy behind the government’s decision to replace the National Commission for OBCs with the National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes as a constitutional body for the OBCs.