The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the 104th Constitution (Amendment) Bill, providing reservation to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes citizens in non-minority unaided private educational institutions, with near unanimity after a Bharatiya Janata Party-sponsored amendment was defeated.
The Bill was passed with 379 votes in favour with one against.
The BJP, which had earlier announced that it would oppose the Bill, did not do so in the House when it was put to vote.
However, party member of Parliament V K Malhotra moved an amendment motion, demanding that the Bill be made applicable to all institutions, including those run by minorities.
Moving the amendment, he submitted that the very purpose of the Bill would be defeated if the minority institutions were kept out of the purview of the Bill.
"If it was aimed at providing benefits to the weaker sections of society, the Bill in the present form would take away the benefits of more people than to the number it would benefit," he said.
Replying to the more than five-hour long debate, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh said the government had brought forward the Bill with the aim of providing greater access to higher education, including professional education, to a large number of students belonging to socially and educationally backward classes of citizens and SCs and STs.
Terming it a 'non-partisan' measure, he appealed to the Opposition parties not to politicise it and give it whole-hearted support.
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