NEW DELHI: Vacancies at various positions, including chairman, in the minority commission, SC and OBC commission led to repeated disruptions in the Rajya Sabha with the opposition blaming the government for not doing appointments intentionally.
The matter of appointments in minority commission was raised during Zero Hour by Congress member Narendra Budhania. He was soon joined by members from BSP, SP and Congress demanding that appointments in other statutory commissions are also pending over the last three years.
Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that the appointment in minority commission was in process but has to be stopped as Jain community wrote to the government for including their representative in the commission.
Congress leader Ahmed Patel said that the government can atleast appoint the chairman and members can be appointed later.
The opposition demanded the government to make a detailed statement as to why appointments are not being made. Members of the opposition party came into the well of the house shouting slogans that government is cheating with the people of minority community.
Efforts by the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien to pacify the protesting member failed and led to repeated adjournments in the house.
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said that the government has not made appointment in these institutions for long and that shows that it is not ‘maximum governance, minimum government’ as promised by the NDA government when it came to power.
Request by the chair that the minister has replied to the members’ question on appointment did not pacify the protesting members who continued with sloganeering. There was no business during the Question Hour as members continued with the demand that government should make a detailed statement on appointments.
BSP chief Mayawati also said that rights of people from weaker sections are being taken away and the government is trying to slowly dismantle all commissions.