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Government will spell out stand on Supreme Court verdict on quotas today, Rajnath Singh tells Lok Sabha
BJP’s allies, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and the Janata Dal (United) or JD-U, had already stated their concerns over the judgement.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday that Union minister Thawar Chand Gehlot will make a statement in the Lok Sabha on Supreme Court’s February 7 judgement that the government is not bound to provide reservation for appointments and promotions to public posts, and courts cannot give directions compelling states to reserve jobs or positions for SCs and STs.
Amid demands by Opposition to raise the issue in Lok Sabha, Singh said, “The recent Supreme Court ruling is a sensitive issue and the social justice and empowerment minister will make a statement on the subject in the House.”
BJP leaders have so far remained tight-lipped about the party’s response to the judgement. Party spokesperson Bijay Sonkar Shastri, however, said recently that the BJP supports reservation because it feels there are people who are yet to benefit from quotas in education and government jobs. “If states don’t agree to extend the benefits of reservation then they will have to face the consequences of it,” he said.
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BJP’s allies, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and the Janata Dal (United) or JD-U, had already stated their concerns over the judgement. On Sunday, LJP president Chirag Paswan took to Twitter to express his party’s disagreement. “The LJP does not agree with this decision of the Supreme Court... the party demands that the Union government take immediate measures to ensure that the reservation provision continues in jobs and promotion in the same they have been so far,” he posted.
JD(U) national general secretary and spokesperson KC Tyagi said his party would urge the government to bring an Ordinance in the ongoing session of Parliament to ensure that the system of reservations in promotions in government jobs to SCs and STs continues.
The Opposition has, meanwhile, decided to raise the attack the government in Parliament. As soon as the Question Hour started in the Lower House on Monday, Opposition members, led by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, sought to raise the issue. He was also joined by members from other parties, including the DMK. The Congress gave a suspension of business notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267. It has already given adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met senior ministers on Monday morning in his Parliament House office. Though such meetings are routine during Parliament sessions, Monday’s meet assumes importance in the backdrop of the court ruling.
