Quota will stay: Arjun Singh

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posted on 18 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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He also makes clear that Government is working out options to help out the agitating medical students.

New Delhi: The Government was committed to the reservation policy, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh made this clear on Tuesday amidst a nationwide agitation against quotas for Other Backward Classes (OBC).

"I want to assure the House and everybody that the UPA Government and I, as a servant of this Government, will see that the 93rd Amendment of the Constitution giving reservation to SCs/STs and OBCs in private and unaided institutions is implemented," he said.

Arjun also dismissed allegations of a "personal agenda" being pushed by him on the issue.

"A canard is being spread by a certain section of the people that objective of this Government and this House (Lok Sabha) is being hijacked by me as my personal agenda," Singh said during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha.

He also assured the agitating student community and said the government was exploring ways to ease their plight.

"We are all very seriously considering all the options that would help all the sections of the society who have at the moment acquired a certain stake in the enire thing," Arjun said.

He indicated that government was considering increasing the number of seats while providing reservation.

"This is one of the suggestions the government is considering. As soon as the consultations are over, we will bring a comprehensive roadmap before the House," Singh said.

Referring to the students protest against reservation, he said the government was not unmindful of the fact that a certain section of students think that something was being taken away from them.

"I do not approve of the police action against the agitating students. The students have the right to peaceful agitation," he said.

Refusing to give a time-frame for implementing the 93rd Amendment Act, Singh said the government had received a lot of suggestions which it was looking into with an open mind.

He said the other suggestions considered were providing reservation to Rajputs and to those living below the poverty line and were at present outside the quota system.