New Delhi, June 28
Union Minister for Human Resource Development Arjun Singh called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last evening to discuss the reservation issue that is likely to be taken up during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Though the officials in the ministry maintained a stoic silence on what transpired at the meeting, sources indicated that the minister had apprised the PM of ministers continuing to talk “out of turn”.
The minister, sources said, had drawn the PM’s attention to Cabinet colleague and Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar’s comments on a note that had been circulated by the ministry to the other ministries seeking their view on the quota issue.
This was not the first time that Mr Arjun Singh had spoken to the PM about the increasing tendency of minister’s speaking “out of turn”. He had on an earlier occasion taken exception to Union Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal’s comments on quota for OBCs. Mr Sibal had later claimed that he was “misquoted”.
The sources said the minister also put forth the need to build consensus on the quota issue, before the commencement of the Monsoon session.
