Rajya Sabha Passes bill for reservation to general category poor

The Upper House passed the Bill with 149 ‘ayes’

A day after Lok Sabha passed a landmark bill to provide 10 per cent reservation in jobs and education for the general category poor, the Constitution (103rd Amendment) Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The Upper House passed the Bill with 149 ‘ayes’.

The bill will provide reservation for economically weaker section of the society in higher educational institutions. With most parties backing the proposed legislation, the government has described the bill as “historic” and in the country’s interest.

The opposition, including the Congress, dubbed the proposed law as a political gimmick that may not stand judicial scrutiny but came around to support it during voting, underlining the huge political import of the measure aimed at placating upper castes.

In Lok Sabha, as many as 323 members voted in support of the bill, which seeks to amend Article 15 and 16 of the Constitution to enable reservation for the “economically weaker” sections in the general category. Three members voted against the bill. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi were present in the Lower House when the bill was passed.