IIIT Bill stalled in RS over faculty quota

The government was unable to get a Bill passed in the Rajya Sabha as Congress MP J D Seelam proposed for reservation in faculty in institutions of excellence,which was supported by the BSP,RJD and LJP members.

The government was unable to get a Bill passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday as Congress MP J D Seelam proposed for reservation in faculty in institutions of excellence,which was supported by the BSP,RJD and LJP members.

Seelam demanded reservation for SC/ST and OBC candidates in the Indian Institute of Information Technology,Design and Manufacturing,Kancheepuram,soon after HRD minister Kapil Sibal moved the Bill which seeks to upgrade it to an institute of national importance.

As Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan was about to ask for a voice vote for the passage of the Bill without discussion,Seelam raised the issue of reservation,prompting members of the BSP,RJD,LJP and the Left to seek discussion on the Bill. S C Mishra of the BSP accused the Congress and BJP of reaching an understanding for passage of the Bill without debate.

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Sibal said while there is reservation in admissions in the institutions of national importance,theres no such provision in the case of faculty.

Amidst acrimonious scenes,Khan adjourned the House for 15 minutes. Senior ministers,including P Chidambaram,Sibal and Pawan Kumar Bansal,were visibly upset with Seelam.

When the House reassembled and Sibal clarified that there was no provision of reservation in the faculty,BSP,RJD and LJP members rushed into the well and shouted slogans against the government. The House was adjourned for 30 minutes.

The Bill has already been passed by the Lok Sabha.

Sources in the LJP (RV) said the names of the remaining 15 candidates would also be announced very soon.

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