AMN
Government today assured the parliament that the existing reservation policy would continue and there was no question of going back on the issue.
Responding to agitated members from Samjawadi Party, BSP and some other opposition benches in Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Arun Jaitely made it clear, there was no such purported demand from RSS, as was made out by the opposition leaders.
Ram Gopal Yadav of SP alleged a conspiracy in doing away with the present reservation system. Mayawati (BSP) said the Constitution has clearly defined the criteria for giving reservation to SC/ST and OBCs and now RSS functionaries were talking of the quota being based on economic criteria.
She was referring to RSS general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi’s remark at the organisation’s camp at Nagaur in Rajasthan on Sunday
Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said the Chairman has disallowed a notice under rule 267 by Naresh Agarwal (SP) seeking suspension of business to take up the issue.
When members persisted with the issue, he said RSS is a private organisation. “Why are you worried about that.” While Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) said there is no difference between RSS and Government, Mayawati said statements on the quota issue have been made since BJP came to power.
Responding to this, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said it was a clear view of the government that “reservation should continue” and “RSS has not talked about scrapping it.” “There is no question of removing reservation for SC/ST. RSS has also called for strengthening reservation, not ending it,” he said.
Earlier, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi defended RSS, and said in fact the organisation strongly supported reservation for the backward classes.