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Bill for upper castes quota if Opposition supports it: PM
Jaipur, Aug 10: Amidst slogan-shouting by BJP dissidents demanding reservation of jobs for economically weaker among upper castes, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today announced the Centre was ready to bring a bill in the current session of Parliament for this if Congress-led Opposition supported it.
Jaipur, Aug 10: Amidst slogan-shouting by BJP dissidents demanding reservation of jobs for economically weaker among upper castes, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
today announced the Centre was ready to bring a bill in the current session of Parliament for this if Congress-led Opposition supported it.
Kicking off the party's campaign for the coming assembly
elections in Rajasthan within days of suspending dissident
Rajput leader Devi Singh Bhati who is spear-heading the stir
for reservation for upper castes, Vajpayee said the Centre
fully agreed with the demand but the Constitution would have
to be amended and his government lacked two-thirds majority.
"The whole country will have to formulate a policy. BJP alone cannot do it. The support of the Opposition, including the Congress, is required. If other parties are ready to support, we are ready to bring in a Constitution Amendment Bill when the Parliament session resumes on Wednesday itself but first we should have confidence that it would not be defeated," Vajpayee said to thunderous cheers from the crowd, which had gathered at the Amroodon Ka Bagh braving heavy downpour.
As Vajpayee spoke, activists of Social Justice Forum (SJF), one of whose leaders is Bhati, raised slogans and waived banners demanding reservation for Rajputs and Brahmins.
The Prime Minister, however, continued his speech and responded to the slogan-shouting by saying 'Jo kahna tha, vah kah diya gaya aur jo samajhana tha vah samajh liya gaya (what was to be told has been said and what was to be understood has been understood)'.
Police charged with canes to remove the protestors and arrested 15 people at the meeting venue.
Vajpayee said 'Jo naarey laga rahe the, vah chaley gaye. Unhe laga ki dal nahin galegi (those who raised slogans have gone realising the ice will not melt)'.
He said reservation for SC/ST and OBCs was meant to give a level-playing field to those left behind in the race of progress due to various social reasons.
"Now the voice is being raised that something should also be done for those who were not socially backward but were economically poor," Vajpayee added.
Vajpayee's move is not only seen as a bid to steal the wind out of Bhati's sails ahead of assembly polls but also a political rejoinder to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's move to provide 14 per cent job reservation to the poor among the forward castes.
In his rally, which also witnessed participation of all senior state party leaders in a show of unity in Rajasthan BJP, Vajpayee chose to skip the issues of Hindutva, Ayodhya and even terrorism but focused on reservations and drought relief--an issue on which he rubbished Congress' charge of discrimination against Opposition-ruled states and asked it not to derive political mileage out of natural disasters. Bureau Report
"The whole country will have to formulate a policy. BJP alone cannot do it. The support of the Opposition, including the Congress, is required. If other parties are ready to support, we are ready to bring in a Constitution Amendment Bill when the Parliament session resumes on Wednesday itself but first we should have confidence that it would not be defeated," Vajpayee said to thunderous cheers from the crowd, which had gathered at the Amroodon Ka Bagh braving heavy downpour.
As Vajpayee spoke, activists of Social Justice Forum (SJF), one of whose leaders is Bhati, raised slogans and waived banners demanding reservation for Rajputs and Brahmins.
The Prime Minister, however, continued his speech and responded to the slogan-shouting by saying 'Jo kahna tha, vah kah diya gaya aur jo samajhana tha vah samajh liya gaya (what was to be told has been said and what was to be understood has been understood)'.
Police charged with canes to remove the protestors and arrested 15 people at the meeting venue.
Vajpayee said 'Jo naarey laga rahe the, vah chaley gaye. Unhe laga ki dal nahin galegi (those who raised slogans have gone realising the ice will not melt)'.
He said reservation for SC/ST and OBCs was meant to give a level-playing field to those left behind in the race of progress due to various social reasons.
"Now the voice is being raised that something should also be done for those who were not socially backward but were economically poor," Vajpayee added.
Vajpayee's move is not only seen as a bid to steal the wind out of Bhati's sails ahead of assembly polls but also a political rejoinder to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's move to provide 14 per cent job reservation to the poor among the forward castes.
In his rally, which also witnessed participation of all senior state party leaders in a show of unity in Rajasthan BJP, Vajpayee chose to skip the issues of Hindutva, Ayodhya and even terrorism but focused on reservations and drought relief--an issue on which he rubbished Congress' charge of discrimination against Opposition-ruled states and asked it not to derive political mileage out of natural disasters. Bureau Report