Both CPI and CPI(M) staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday on introduction of the Central Educational Institutions (reservation in teachers' cadre) bill, saying they were not given enough time for submitting amendments.
The bill, passed in the Lok Sabha yesterday, seeks to replace an Ordinance passed to provide reservation to scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST) and economically weaker section for teachers post' in central educational institutions.
The Left party members protested, saying they were not given enough time to move amendments to the bill, to which the Chair said Congress member T Subbarami Reddy has already submitted an amendment and they too could have done so.
CPI(M) member Elamaram Kareer raised a point of order under the Rule 91 and said the government should give a copy of the bill a day before to a member who is willing to move an amendment.
"Here the bill comes in the afternoon, we are getting the supplementary list of business in the afternoon. I have not received the bill prior, so that to give the amendment. So it is not in order to present the bill in the House," he said.
To this, Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh said, "Under such cases, this clause is relaxed. So he (the HRD Minister) can move (the bill). The Chair has power to do it and the Chairhas taken it."
The Deputy Chairman said: "The copies of the bill were given to members in the morning. If members wished, they could have given amendments in the afternoon. ....Subbarami Reddy (Cong) has given an amendment."
Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said, "Subbarami Reddy has already given an amendment. They should take tuition from him."