On a day when the Rajya Sabha is to vote on a constitutional amendment bill to provide reservation in promotions to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, Samajwadi Party members referring to the Sachar Committee report said Muslims were worse off than Dalits and should be given reservation in jobs.
"The study of Sachar Committee and the report says the situation of Muslims is worse than Dalits. When you are making an amendment to the constitution to provide reservation in promotion, why can't the constitution be amended to provide religion-based reservation?" party's chief in the Rajya Sabha Ram Gopal Yadav said raising the issue during zero hour.
His demand came shortly after the SP forced partial adjournment of question hour over the issue.
"Bring a constitutional amendment bill and give Muslims reservation in jobs. The minister should tell when the government will bring such bill," he said.
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Earlier, as soon as the upper house met for the day, Ram Gopal Yadav called for implementation of the Sachar Committee report on the condition of Indian Muslims.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari asked him to raise the issue during zero hour and let the question hour run smoothly.
But SP's Naresh Aggarwal asked party members to gather near the chairman's podium, following which the chair adjourned the house for half an hour.
The Sachar panel report, about the conditions of Muslims in the country, paints a dismal picture of Muslims' participation in education and jobs. Among its recommendations, it called for a mechanism to ensure equity and equality of opportunity and eliminate discrimination.
