BSP Supremo Mayawati seeks quotas in promotions

New Delhi: BSP chief Mayawati on Monday demanded reservation for Dalits and tribals during promotions in the government and the private sector.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, she also sought reservation for economically backward upper caste people.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a lot in his concluding remarks during the constitution debate on Friday," she said.

"It would have been better if he had announced strong schemes for the weaker sections of the society like reservation for ST/SCs in promotion, reservation in private sector and reservation for economically backward class of the upper caste," the Bahujan Samaj Party chief said.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister was participating in a discussion to mark the 125th birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar, the main architect of the Indian constitution.

She took a dig at Modi. "The prime Minister speaks of the greatness of Buddhism when he travels abroad but in India he and his colleagues' actions are against those teachings.

"Lord Buddha gave the message of humanity and peace, a message that is much needed right now. I advise this government to follow Ambedkar's path," she added.

Initiating the debate on the second day, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu asked opposition members to respect the mandate of the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

"Let us tolerate the mandate of the people, we must respect that, whether you like it or not is not the issue," he said.