Cutting across party lines Rajya Sabha members supported a Constitution amendment Bill to extend reservation to SCs and STs in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies by another 10 years. The Opposition also sought to extend the benefit to the Anglo-Indian community. On Tuesday, the Lok Sabha had unanimously passed the Bill even though the Opposition had slammed the Government for not giving the benefit to the Anglo-Indian community.
Moving the bill in the Upper House for consideration and passage, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that "all those who don't come from the SC/ST communities have also extended help for their welfare". "We have a large number of SC/ST members," he said. Reservation for members of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), given for the past 70 years in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, is due to end on January 25, 2020.
The bill, which saw heated exchange between the treasury and opposition benches, was approved unanimously in Rajya Sabha. The debate witnessed heated exchange between Prasad and Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, after which Congress members staged a walkout. Congress members later returned to the House for the voting process.
Lauding the efforts made for the welfare of deprived classes, Prasad took the name of BSP chief Mayawati and said she is working towards the welfare of these communities in her own way. He also remembered tribal freedom fighter and folk hero Birsa Munda.
On the Anglo-Indian community issue, he told the House that there are 296 members of the community in India. Prasad said as per the 2011 Census, the SC population was 20.13 crore and ST population 10.45 crore which was 5.13 crore and 1.91 crore at the time of India's independence. The minster urged the members to pass the bill unanimously.
TMC MP Derek O'Brien supported the bill but as a member of the Anglo-India community expressed dismay over its benefit not being extended to his community. O'Brien asked the Government how is it nominating an Anglo-Indian to Lok Sabha when there are only 296 members of the community in the country.
He told the House that he is the only elected member from the community and it happened as TMC chief Mamata Banerjee does not believe in vote bank politics.
The government is humiliating SCs and STs in West Bengal. The state assembly had passed a bill for setting up a commission for them, but it has been held back by the Centre, O'Brien alleged.