Quota Bill in the Rajya Sabha

The government crossed the quota in promotions hurdle in Parliament. MPs of the Samajwadi Party, which is strongly opposed to the bill, withdrew from the Rajya Sabha after a voluble hour-long protest when the presiding officer threatened to use marshals to remove them.
Thus, the debate on the bill seeking to implement quota in promotions for dalits and tribals in state government jobs got underway.
Some deft backroom diplomacy by government managers ended the SP imposed veto and saw BSP chief Mayawati expressing “full faith” in chairman Hamid Ansari after having lashed out at him for failing to ensure the bill’s passage.
Apart from securing the SP’s peaceful retreat from the House, senior ministers like P Chidambaram engaged in negotiations over an official amendment with BJP leader Arun Jaitley that aims to ensure that provisions emphasizing administrative efficiency are not jeopardized by the quota bill.
Jaitley, who asserted that his party was “fully committed to the concept of social justice”, however, made it plain to Mayawati that without an assurance that the relevant Article 335 will not be diluted, he would be forced to move an amendment on this bill, which cannot be passed without the main opposition’s support. The resultant compromise relieves the government of a major headache in the wake of Mayawati’s heavy handed message that she will not brook delay in the bill’s passage. The same pattern is likely to be repeated in Lok Sabha as SP leader Ramgopal Yadav told the media that the party intends to take part in the debate in the upper House.
The resolution of the SP-BSP gridlock raises hopes that the government will finally be able to pass the banking laws amendment bill and perhaps one other legislation dealing with either insurance or pension reform before the winter session ends next week. Managing to keep both the SP and BSP on board is no mean task given the determination with which Mulayam had opposed the quota in promotion bill.
 He would now have to concentrate on repairing the impression that Mayawati has prevailed. The Congress on its part clearly felt that honouring a partner who voted in favour of FDI-—rather than abstaining as SP did-—was more important.
The SP’s eventual walkout came after deputy chairman P J Kurien named two SP members who were then directed to leave the House for causing disruptions. Discussion on the bill could start only when SP members left the House which faced three brief adjournments. Intending to muster maximum support, the government has incorporated a 22% cap on promotions for which consideration of annual confidential report (ACR) will be crucial. Moving the Constitution (117th Amendment) Bill, 2012, minister of state for personnel V Narayanasamy said the government would consider the efficiency in services part of the bill.
The bill has the conditional support of the BJP and clear-cut backing from the BSP, CPM, CPI, Trinamool Congress, BJD, AIADMK and JD(U). Shiv Sena is the other political party opposed to the bill. Voting on the bill, which will require two-thirds support for its passage, is expected to take place on Monday.