New Delhi, Sep 4: The government said it will Wednesday bring a constitutional amendment bill to provide reservations to scheduled castes/scheduled tribes (SC/STs) in job promotions and appealed to all the parties to help pass it.
"We will bring a constitutional amendment bill to provide reservations to the SC/ST in job promotions in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. We are determined to pass it... we appeal to all parties to help pass it," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal told reporters.
Bansal said the government has requested the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to help it pass the bill.
Senior BJP senior leaders will discuss the issue at a party meeting Tuesday evening, he said.
On its part, the Congress will issue a whip to all its members in the upper house to be present when the bill is presented for consideration and voting.
As it is a constitutional amendment bill, the government would need the support of two third members present and voting in the house.
If passed by the Rajya Sabha, the bill will be brought in the Lok Sabha Thursday, Bansal said.
According to Bansal, all the parties already know what changes have to be made to the law and they have agreed to it.
Expressing hope that there would be order in the house when the key bill is put to vote, Bansal said the presiding officer will take a call on the floor of the house.
The amendment will provide for 22.5 percent reservation in promotions to the SC/ST employees in government jobs.
The bill was approved by the the union cabinet Tuesday, with the Bahujan Samaj Party welcoming the move, its rival Samajwadi Party opposing it and the BJP announcing conditional support.
