Govt employees call flash strike in UP to protest quota bill

, Dec 13: As many as 18 lakh government employees and officers in Uttar Pradesh went on a flash strike on Thursday to protest against the introduction of quota bill in the Rajya Sabha. Emergency services, however, were exempted from the strike by the striking employees.

The strike was called even as Samajwadi Party (SP) members staged a walkout from the Rajya House over the introduction of the bill while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) pushed the bill to be passed. SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav said outside the Parliament later that his party would continue to protest against the bill and seek its withdrawal. He also slammed the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for bowing under pressure from Mayawati, the BSP chief.

The SP was firm on its protest against the bill despite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaking to party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on the issue. According to the SP, the bill was unconstitutional and would deprive 80 per cent of employees of promotion.

Meanwhile, Mayawati, who was getting impatient to get the get the bill passed and even hit out at the Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari on Wednesday, said in the House that people from the SC and ST communities required reservation for promotion in government jobs. She also said that the BSP was not opposed to reservation for the backward classes.

The BSP supported the UPA government during the recent vote on foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail in the Rajya Sabha and political observers felt that the BSP expected a favour in return by getting the quota bill passed in the Parliament.

OneIndia News