UP: Bill scrapping promotion quota sent to select panel

It had made three points which the government did not consider.

Taking advantage of its majority in the UP Legislative Council,the BSP scored a victory over the ruling SP on Tuesday when it succeeded in sending the Bill that abolishes reservation in promotion in state services to a select committee of the House with a recommendation to submit its report in a month.

The Legislative Assembly had passed the UP Public Service (SCs,STs and OBCs Reservation) Amendment Bill,2012,a fortnight ago. It is meant to replace an ordinance the Governor had promulgated to give effect to the judgment by which the Supreme Court had struck down the previous Mayawati governments policy of reservation in promotions. An ordinance lapses if it is not replaced with an Act of the legislature within six months.

Soon after the Bill was tabled in the Council,12 BSP MLCs,including their Leader in the House,Naseemuddin Siddiqui,proposed that the Bill be sent to a select committee. After half-an-hour discussion,the proposal was passed by a voice vote. Objecting to the Bill in its current form,Siddiqui said the Supreme Court was not against reservation in promotions. It had made three points which the government did not consider. These points were adequate representation in services to reserved categories,their backwardness and administrative skills.

The UP government has an anti-Dalit and anti-OBC mentality and hence it is misleading the public in the name of the Supreme Court, alleged Siddiqui.

Countering his proposal,Leader of the House Ahmed Hasan said if the BSPs policy of reservation in promotion continued,there will be only SC/ST employees on all top positions in UP by 2022. People from all communities and sections had the right of promotion in services,he said. Stating that the government had brought the Bill only to give effect to the Supreme Court judgment,Hasan asked the BSP to withdraw its proposal,but the latter was unmoved.

Gujarat in grip of Emergency: Keshubhai

BJP rebel and former chief minister Keshubhai Patel,in his first blog posted in Gujarati,has severely criticised the police action against parents of the missing children in the state and said a state worse than the Emergency prevailed in Gujarat.

Stating that 37 years have passed since Emergency,Keshubhai said it was surprising that an atmosphere like Emergency still existed in Gujarat.

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In the blog Keshubhai said the parents were emotionally disturbed and wanted to submit a representation to Chief Minister Narendra Modi but they were subjected to misbehaviour by the police.