New Delhi: The issue of reservation again generated heat in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday with government coming under attack from several parties for not bringing a constitutional amendment to annul a Supreme Court order against reservation for faculty in superspeciality section in AIIMS.
Seeking to assuage their feelings, Law Minister Kapil Sibal said reservation in the faculty in superspeciality section of AIIMS will continue, a view later echoed by Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy.
Earlier, responding to members` demand on constitutional amendment, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said if the House agrees then the session can be extended for the passage of the legislation.
Raising the issue, JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav targeted Congress as well as BJP, saying the two parties have not supported the demand for reservation for SCs and Sts.
"We have been humiliated on several occasions. It is pain to stand up and raise the same issue again and again in the House...We are more in number than you. You did the same thing on the issue of caste census. But we fail to speak up due to limitations imposed due to party affiliations," Yadav said.
The uproar over the issue led to an hour-long adjournment of the House. When it reassembled Gopinath Munde (BJP) denied Yadav`s charge that his party was not supportive of the reservations and as also quota for the backwards.
Panna Lal Punia (Cong) sought a reply from the government on AIIMS faculty issue and the status of reservation in promotion bill passed by the Rajya Sabha which has been pending for long in the lower house.
Explaining the government`s stance, Sibal said reservation would remain.
The Minister said a review petition was filed in Supreme Court following which a constitutional bench looked into the matter.
"It (reservation) was always also and will also be so,"
Sibal said.
Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy also said that reservation would continue in super-speciality faculties at AIIMS.
The minister, mistakingly said there would be no reservation for superspeciality faculties and after uproar from various members, he corrected his statement.
After the House was adjourned, Narayanasamy was seen talking to various members including SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav. They were heard demanding that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) take back an order related to the issue.
Sharad Yadav questioned the government`s "failure" to bring a constitutional amendment bill to annul apex court`s verdict.
SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said Muslims, backwards and SCs can no longer be suppressed as "we have awakened" now.
"You had set up the Sachar committee. The report is with you. But it has not been implemented. Today you will have to reply in yes or no. What do you propose to do?" he asked.
He said instead of moving the apex court for a review, government should have brought a constitutional amendment bill.
He said all the parties have to face elections in the next few days and those opposing benefits for minorities would face "difficulty".
Yadav said his party was in support of benefits for the poor belonging to the general category.
While Mulayam was speaking, Congress MPs Punia, Kamal Kishor `Commando`, Mohinder Singh `Kaypee` came to the aisle demanding a response from the government.
Earlier, Shailendra Kumar (SP) and Dara Singh Chauhan sought a response from the government on a resolution passed by Uttar Pradesh Assembly to include 17 castes in the SC list.
Responding to the demands, Kamal Nath said several state assemblies have passed similar resolutions and he would bring the issue to the notice of Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde.
