UPA OK for list minus OBC, allies want Plan B

Earlier today, UPA allies called for urgent steps, ranging from a joint session of Parliament to amending the Constitution, to implement 27 per cent OBC reservation from this academic year itself.

But by evening, even the UPA’s southern allies, who have been very vocal in protesting the Supreme Court stay on the quota law, fell in line. They all agreed with the Government that the “legal procedure” had to be followed while “political issues” could be brought to the court’s notice.

Under the Centre’s formula, 1,24,377 general and SC and ST candidates would be offered admissions while 12,216 quota seats under the expansion programme would be filled after the Supreme Court decision.

Arjun Singh briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the meeting with leaders of the UPA and Left. But the Left parties told the Government to think of an option in case the stay on the quota law is not lifted. CPM’s Sitaram Yechury said though the Government was confident that the stay would be vacated, it should be prepared with a fall-back option like “another legislation” or “another amendment” to the Constitution.

For now, RSP leader Abani Roy said “it was an unanimous decision to continue with last year’s admission procedure.”

RJD chief Lalu Prasad said: “We have taken a view that students should not suffer and the OBC quota be kept pending till the Supreme Court decides. We can, in the meantime, go ahead with admissions for general category students.”

The quota issue also rocked Parliament with some members questioning the judiciary for putting on hold the 27 per cent reservation for OBCs. There were demands that reservation be made applicable from this academic year through a Constitutional amendment.

Despite repeated pleas by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee not to refer to the judiciary, some members, including Devendra Prasad Yadav (RJD), C Kuppuswamy (DMK), L Ganesan (MDMK) and Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), spoke on the situation arising from the Supreme Court stay on the quota law.

Members said there was need to understand that Parliament was supreme and the law concerned was enacted unanimously by both Houses.

Devendra Prasad Yadav said a “new convention” was being set as the judgment of a nine-member bench was being reversed by a two-member bench. He continued to speak on judiciary encroaching on the turf of legislature despite appeals from the Speaker that there should be no reference to courts.

Maintaining that “the will of the House is the will of the people”, SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav said a peculiar situation has arisen before Parliament and the country in view of the Supreme Court order.

In Bhopal, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh called for a national debate on whether Parliament or the judiciary was supreme in a democracy, PTI reported.

“The Congress has always supported reservation. An elaborate debate is needed on whether the elected Parliament or the Supreme Court will run the country under the present democratic set-up,” Digvijay Singh told reporters. Parliament, which had put its stamp of approval on the Constitution, also holds the right to amend it, he said.