Parliament passes bill to extend SC/ST reservation in legislatures

Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed a Constitution amendment bill to extend reservation to SCs and STs in Lok Sabha and state assemblies by another 10 years. Lok Sabha had passed the bill on December 10.

Reservation for members of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), given for the past 70 years in Lok Sabha and state assemblies, is due to end on January 25, 2020. The bill, which saw heated exchange between the treasury and opposition benches, was approved unanimously in Rajya Sabha.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, while replying to a debate on the bill, assured the House that the Modi government would not end reservation and not do anything which is against the spirit of the Constitution. The debate witnessed heated exchange between Prasad and Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, after which Congress members staged a walkout.

Congress members later returned to the House for the voting process.