New Delhi: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Wednesday supported the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2019 for providing 10 per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutions to economically weaker sections of the society.
Speaking on behalf of the party, the BJD Parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha Prasanna Acharya said there is no question on the Bill and his party supports it but raised doubts on the intent of the Union government behind the Bill.
He asked the Union government, ‘what was the hurry in bringing this legislation without consulting anyone.’
Acharya termed the BJP government a ‘sick government’ and the quota Bill as ‘oxygen’ to the government.
Recalling Mandal Commission days, Acharya said, “Huge violence was going on at Odisha capital. The then Chief Minister of Odisha Biju Patnaik went to meet protesting students without security and said that a poor doesn’t have any caste. A poor is poor. After Biju Babu’s address all students kept quite.”
Speaking on the deficiencies of the Bill, Acharya said, “You are making 10 per cent reservation to those who at present are out of preview of the reservation and they constitute 98 per cent. You are going to make provision of 10 per cent reservation for the 98 per cent of those people who are out of the preview of reservation currently. How is it practically possible.”
He also said that the Bill may lead to confrontation between judiciary and legislature.
“Many times the reservation matter has gone to the court and every time the court has rejected it. Is this House competent to bring such Bill? There is every possibility that it may not stand in the scrutiny of law. We are going for confrontation between legislature and judiciary,” Acharya added.