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Irate government officials protested at Jantar Mantar here on Tuesday against the proposed Constitution Amendment Bill to provide reservation in job promotions for those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is scheduled to chair an all-party meeting later in the day to discuss the bill, which is expected to be tabled in the parliament on Wednesday. After repeated adjournments in the Upper House and turmoil in the Lower House, the government had earlier this month agreed to the members demand for bringing a Constitution Amendment Bill for reservation in promotion of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in state jobs. The protest was led by senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ram Gopal Yadav, who slammed the ruling Congress party for encouraging divisive policies. He also urged all political parties to restrain from caste based politics and urged them not to support the bill. "This is the motive of the Congress party to obstruct the unity and growth of this country. Hence, we believe that the proposed Constitutional Bill should not be tabled, and political parties should not support it, simply because they want to get the votes of the scheduled castes. This would create a serious situation in the country," Yadav said. The Supreme Court had, in April, overruled the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to provide reservations in government job promotions. The verdict had come as a blow to the then Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government in UP. The BSP had raised this issue in the Budget Session of Parliament demanding a constitutional amendment to provide for such quotas.

Officials protest against caste-based reservations in promotions