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Promotion quota Bill tabled in RS amid scuffle New Delhi, September 5 The scuffle broke out as soon as Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien asked the government to move the Constitution (117th Amendment) Bill, 2012, amid shouting by BJP members over the CAG report on coal block allocations. As soon as Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy got up to introduce the Bill, SP members led by Naresh Agrawal tried to move towards the well of the House. Agrawal was encountered by BSP member Avatar Singh Karimpuri, who physically tried to stop him from proceeding with his protest. Other BSP members intervened and held back Karimpuri, but the damage had been done by then. Tempers ran high as the scuffle continued. SP members, including Ramgopal Yadav and Agrawal, then rushed into the well, shouting slogans against reservation in promotion. In the commotion that followed, Narayanasamy quickly introduced the Bill. All Kurien could do was helplessly plead: “What is this… no please... no please…” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was present in the House when the SP and BSP members clashed. The main actors of the drama tried to justify their actions. Agrawal said the BSP member was getting “offensive” and did not allow him to speak. Karimpuri said he was only trying to convince Agrawal, a former BSP member, to allow introduction of the legislation when the altercation took place. BSP members could be seen congratulating Karimpuri for his act, describing him as a
“hero”. The Samajwadi Party is opposed to the introduction of quotas in promotions for SC/ST candidates while Mayawati’s BSP is a prime supporter of the Bill. The Bill, which circumvents a Supreme Court order quashing a similar decision of the Uttar Pradesh Government, seeks to bring certainty and clarity in the matter by substituting a clause of Article 16 of the Constitution. The incident was criticised by most first-hand witnesses to it. Nominated member MS Swaminathan said he had never witnessed such a scene in the House. “Members should be dispassionate and calm during discussions. Differences of opinion resulting in personal animosity and fight in the House of Elders is a disappointment,” he said. Political altercations in the Rajya Sabha have largely been restricted to shouting matches and tearing up of papers. The last time high voltage drama was witnessed in the Upper House was during tabling of the Women's Reservation Bill when a copy of it was torn up. Later, when the Bill was passed, marshals had to be called in to forcibly oust some MPs. At that time, SP member Kamal Akhtar had tried to injure himself with a broken glass when he was being forced out of the House. RLD leader Rajniti Prasad also participated in a similar scene during the discussion on the Lokpal Bill last December. The BJP termed the Bill a “clever measure” by the UPA to divert attention from the contentious coal block allocations. While the BJP does not seem overtly opposed to the SC/ST Bill, it is wary of being seen as helping the government with it. Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said his party was not against social justice, but would not give up its fight to ensure that heads roll for the coal scam. The Bill was strategically introduced by the government in the Upper House to prevent it from lapsing. Bills introduced in the Rajya Sabha do not lapse since it is a permanent body, unlike the LS. The SP, which is openly opposed to the Bill, has just nine members in the RS as compared to 22 in the LS. A Constitution amendment Bill cannot be passed amid pandemonium. Such legislation should have the support of members who are not less than half the strength of a House and two-thirds of those present and voting. For voting, the House needs to be in order with all members in their seats. a New low for Parliament
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