New Delhi: The clamour of quota for minorities returned to haunt the government Thursday delaying introduction of the much-awaited Lokpal (ombudsman) Bill in the Lok Sabha.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, an ex-ally of the ruling Congress party, raised the issue accusing the Congress party of getting influenced by the anti-minority Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Support of the principal opposition BJP is required for smooth passage of the bill. The two parties had Wednesday agreed to join hands in introduction of the bill and extend the winter session of Parliament by three days to ensure Lokpal Bill is passed.
The draft of the Lokpal Bill, cleared by the Cabinet Tuesday night, states 50 per cent reservation for the scheduled caste, schedule tribe, other backward classes and women. Yadav and several other smaller political parties insisted that minorities should also be included in it.
Minorities are still not entitled for reservations still and to do so the Constitution would have to be amended before introduction of the Lokpal Bill.
Interestingly, the proposed Lokpal would be a nine-member body. Besides the chief Lokpal, only four posts can be offered under reservation quota. If minorities were to be included, then only way a minority representative can be accommodated is if the woman chosen belongs to that category.
Yadav and members of other pro-minority parties, including the Janata Dal (untied), Samajwadi Party, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Lok Janshakti Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) later met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to demand representation of the minority in the Lokpal body.
Congress lawmaker Raj Babbar also joined them with an eye on the upcoming assembly elections in his home state Uttar Pradesh.
