Quota bill introduced in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Minister of State in Prime Minister's office, V Narayanasamy, introduced the SC/ST quota bill in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

The voting on the bill is likely to take place on Monday. Leaders of the Samajwadi Party, which has been firmly opposing this bill, walked out of the upper house.

BJP leader Arun Jaitley during the debate in the Rajya Sabha urged the government to reconsider some provisions of the promotion quota bill, saying it would help people with doubtful integrity to be entitled to promotion.

"I will urge the government to seriously reconsider this...If someone has doubtful integrity, then he will still be entitled to promotion," Jaitley said.

"To say that no standards will be needed should be reconsidered. Efficiency of service is a constitutional requirement. The structure will collapse once the government agrees (to the new bill), " he added.

There was chaos inside the Rajya Sabha earlier today, soon after leaders expressed their faith in Chairman Hamid Ansari and the dignity of the house, with the Samajwadi Party (SP) creating a ruckus over the quota bill and an angry deputy chairman PJ Kurien asking that its member be evicted.

The quota bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in the Monsoon Session, but could not be taken up due to disruption on coal block issue.

The Bahujan Samaj Party has been demanding that the bill be passed, but the Samajwadi Party (SP) is opposing it.