Reservation issue to rock Parliament tomorrow

New Delhi, May 16 (UNI) The Reservation issue will rock Parliament again tomorrow with the PMK planning to bring a Calling Attention Motion on the issue in the Lok Sabha.

PMK leader Prof M Ramdoss has given the notice to bring Calling Attention on which Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh will reply.

However, the government which is facing the heat of ongoing agitation by doctors in various parts is undeterred by these protests against the constitutional amendment providing 27 percent reservation to OBCs in the institutions of higher education.

''Since it is a constitutional amendment, its mandatory for the government both at the Centre and states to bring the reservation for OBCs into effect,'' Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Dasmunsi told reporters here today.

He said that since all the institutes of higher education like IITs, IIMs and AIIMS have come into existence under separate acts, the union government would bring separate bills to include reservation into them. The Law Ministry will examine them and the Union Cabinet would give its approval, he explained.

He said that the reservation would definitely come into effect, only the time when it will come into force is not clear.

Mr Dasmunsi said that under the Constitution Amendment, the state governments have also to bring appropriate legislation to bring various private educational institutions in their own state under its purview. The Maharashtra government has already decided to implement it while other states would also have to take a decision soon.

Meanwhile, the government plans to bring five to six legislation during this extended session of Parliament, Mr Dasmunsi said. He said that the Business Advisory Committee meeting today decided to bring the Small and Medium Scale Industries and Enterprises Bill, the Reserve Bank of India Amendment Bill, the Banking Regulation Amendment Bill and the Government of India Security Bill during the session.

However, the top priority of the government was the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Bill, Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Bill, 2006 and the Small and Medium Scale Industries and Enterprises Bill. Of the three the first one has already been passed by the Parliament, the second has been passed by the Lok Sabha today and it would go before the Rajya Sabha tomorrow, he pointed out.

UNI AJ RP HT1910