Lok Sabha Passes Constitution Amendment Bill To Extend SC-ST Quota In Legislatures

Lok Sabha on Tuesday unanimously passed a Constitution amendment bill to extend reservation to SCs and STs in Lok Sabha and state assemblies by another 10 years even though the opposition slammed the government for not giving the benefit to the Anglo-Indian community. Responding to the debate on the Constitution (126th) Amendment Bill, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asserted that quota in legislatures for SCs and STs was required to build a new political leadership of the two communities. He also said that the government is against the concept of "creamy layer" for the SC, ST communities as they are anyway backward and should not be "segregated" on such lines.

A few days ago, the government had urged the Supreme Court to reconsider its stand that socially, educationally and economically advanced cream of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) communities should be excluded from the benefits of reservation in government services.

The bill was passed with 352 members voting in favour and none against it.

The reservation for SCs, STs and Anglo-Indians given for the past 70 years in Lok Sabha and state assemblies was due to end on January 25, 2020.

The reservation for Anglo-Indians in the form of "nomination" is set to expire on January 25 as the bill does not extend the facility to the community. Prasad, however, said the doors are not shut and the matter to grant Anglo-Indians nomination would be considered.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the House when members voted for the measure. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi were not present, prompting BJP members to take a jibe at opposition benches.

Since it was a Constitution amendment bill, the voting took place through division.

The bill, once passed by Rajya Sabha would be sent to states for ratification by 50 per cent of the assemblies before it comes into force.

Supporting the extension of reservation for SCs and STs in legislatures, various Opposition members, however, questioned the government on not extending similar benefit to the Anglo-Indian community. They also questioned that India has only 296 Anglo-Indians.

Hitting back, the minister said when the same census report puts the figure of SCs and STs at over 20 crore and 10 crore respectively, the opposition accepts it. But when the same census puts Anglo-Indians at 296, the opposition questions the report. He said the matter to grant them nomination in legislatures again would be considered.