Upper caste quota bill strong answer to those spreading lies: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said the smooth passage of the bill which provides 10 per cent quota for the general category poor in jobs and education in the Lok Sabha is a “strong answer” by the Parliament to those “spreading lies”. Hoping the Rajya Sabha will pass the Bill Wednesday, Modi said the rights of the deprived sections, including the dalits and the tribal people, will not be affected because of this bill. He termed the passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha as a “historic” step which seeks to uplift the deprived sections and also illustrates the commitment of the government to prioritising the good of those needing it the most. “Yesterday late night, a historic bill was passed in Lok Sabha. By passing the bill regarding 10% reservation being granted to the economically weaker section in the general category, our principle of ‘Sabka sath sabka vikas’ has been further strengthened,” Modi said. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday and was brought to the Upper House after the sitting of the House was extended by a day. Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot introduced The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty- Fourth Amendment) Bill 2019 amid slogan shouting by opposition Congress over the citizenship amendment bill. The passage of the Citizenship Bill, seeking to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan also found a mention in Modi’s speech. “I want to assure the people of Assam and North East that their rights will not be hurt after passage of the bill,” Modi said. Speaking after inaugurating a highway project built at an investment of over Rs 970 crore, Modi said Solapur will soon be covered under the Udaan scheme which seeks to link far off places with air connectivity. He also laid the foundation stone of an over Rs 1,800 crore project of 30,000 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana here. Before addressing the public meeting, Modi launched the four-laning of Solapur-Osmanabad section of NH-211, underground sewerage system and three sewage treatment plants and laid foundation stone of 30,000 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.