New Delhi, June 14
Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan today joined the bandwagon of parties opposing the women's reservation bill in its present form and instead demanded provision for "sub-quota" for Dalits, backwards and minorities."Such reservation should have provision for sub-quota for Dalits, backwards and minorities. The LJP will support changes to this effect in the proposed legislation for reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures," party chief Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters here after chairing the national executive meeting of the party.
The stand of the LJP, which could not open its account in the recent Lok Sabha election and only has one Rajya Sabha MP, is in sync with the position taken by Samajwadi Party and RJD which are also opposing the bill in its current format while demanding sub-quota for these sections.
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LJP DEMANDS…
- Ten per cent reservation for poor among upper
castes.
- Probe into functioning of schools run by
RSS.
- End to use of EVMs and reverting to ballot paper system.
- Status of a minority institution for Jamia Milia university.
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The LJP, which adopted a resolution on the reservation issue today, had fought the last Lok Sabha election in alliance with the two parties. Paswan also sought an end to the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the elections and favoured reverting to the old system of polling through ballot papers.
"The US, which had implemented EVM, went back to ballot papers. In our 543-member Parliament itself, EVM does not work properly. How will it work well for crores of voters? We came across lots of complaints about manipulation of EVMs in elections and demand its discontinuance," he said.
The LJP also favoured 10 per cent reservation for the poor among upper castes. It demanded the extension of reservation for SC/ST to private sector, making "right to work" a fundamental right under the constitution and creation of All India Judicial Services on the lines of civil services with a provision for reservation for SC/ST.
Paswan said his party wanted change in legislation to the effect that a person born as scheduled caste in any state gets SC status in all parts of the country. The party said that UPA's flagship programme NREGA should have given employment to people round the year instead of only 100 days.
The party demanded that the UPA government should immediately table in Parliament the Rangnath Mishra Commission report, which suggested remedial measures to end backwardness among Muslims.
Claiming that he had been raising the demand since he was in the union council of ministers in the last UPA government, Paswan said, "LJP proposes tabling of Rangnath Mishra Commission report along with action taken report in Parliament." He also demanded a probe into the functioning of schools being run by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). "These schools should even be banned if the probe finds that they are teaching divisive content to children," Paswan said.
Paswan also felt that the Jamia Milia University should be accorded the status of a Minority institution.
— PTI
