Parliament disrupted, quota bill introduced

The government Wednesday introduced amid commotion a bill in the Rajya Sabha to guarantee job promotions in the government for Dalits and tribals even as BJP protests against the allocation of coal mines led to repeated adjournment of parliament.

The bill, approved by the cabinet Tuesday, was introduced in the upper house by Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office V. Naryanasamy, amid vociferous protests by Samajwadi Party members.

In no time, Samajwadi member Naresh Agrawal and Avart Singh Karimpuri of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which is all for the bill, were locked in a scuffle. Earlier, there was ruckus as Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien called the minister to table the bill.

Bharatiya Janata Party members meanwhile continued their protests demanding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over the controversial coal blocks allocation.

Soon after the bill was introduced, the presiding officer adjourned the house till 2 p.m. Earlier, BJP protests forced the Lok Sabha to adjourn for the day even as Samajwadi Party members raised slogans inside the house against the promotions quota.

When the Lok Sabha, adjourned within minutes after it met at 11 a.m., resumed proceedings at noon, there were more disturbances, forcing acting speaker Girija Vyas to adjourn it again.

Not much business could be done in the house. But Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena withdrew the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Amendment) Bill, 2009. Some papers were tabled amid din.

Later, Samajwadi leader Mulayam Singh Yadav said his party would hit the streets against the bill that guarantees promotions in government jobs to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe.

His party wants the quotas to be extended to Other Backward Classes. Though the SP supports the UPA, he said the government did not consult him over the bill. BSP chief Mayawati, meanwhile, blamed both the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for delaying the passage of the promotions bill.

She told reporters outside parliament: "Both alliances have political motives. The Congress delayed it because of presidential elections. BJP is delaying it now because of political reasons."

Mayawati said she asked BJP leader Sushma Swaraj to help pass the bill but the BJP and its allies did not heed the request.