The Rajasthan Backward Classes (reservation of seats in educational institutions in the state and of appointments and posts in services under the state) Amendment Bill 2019, that provides 5 per cent reservation to Gurjars and other nomadic communities in the state, was unanimously passed in the Rajasthan Assembly on Wednesday.
While the BJP supported the Bill, it viciously attacked the Congress government and accused it of playing to the gallery without delivering any substantiated results. BJP legislators said that they are supporting the Bill but it would never stand legally. Congress MLAs told them they were ready to go to the Union government with BJP legislators and urge for Constitution amendment.
Leader of Opposition, Gulab Chand Kataria, deputy LOP Rajendra Rathore and former education minister Vasudev Devnani took part in the debate, and claimed that the bill has been brought in a hurry for political appeasement. They said they support the bill, but are also certain that it will be challenged in court, as all possible solutions have been tried out but every time the bill has been challenged in the High Court and Supreme Court, it never sees light of the day.
The bill sought to increase the backward classes' reservation from the present 21 per cent to 26 per cent with a five per cent quota for Gurjars, Banjaras, Gadia Lohars, Raikas and Gadarias.
The statement on the objective and reasons for the bill said the five castes are the most backward and required separate reservation in government jobs and educational institutes.
(With inputs from PTI)
