New Delhi:
Mayawati has warned the government of "a tough stand" if it does not push through new legislation that would reserve promotions in government jobs for Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SC/STs).
"We will wait and see and if the government does not pass this bill, we will be forced to take a tough stand. We can go to any extent," she said, though she did not threaten to end the external support her party provides to Dr Manmohan Singh's coalition government.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned today amid considerable chaos as members of the Samajwadi Party shouted slogans against the "quota bill" which is testing the ability of the fragile government to get parliamentary approval for major new policies. "The BJP and Samajwadi Party are hand in glove to stall this bill," complained Mayawati.
The quota bill has turned into a tug-of-war between the two main powerhouses in Uttar Pradesh, without who the minority government at the Centre could collapse.
While Mayawati is demanding reservation in promotions, her political rival, Mulayam Singh Yadav, is strongly opposed to the proposal because it would upset his backward caste and Muslim votebank in Uttar Pradesh.
"This is dividing society...how can you benefit one by taking away rights of others?" asked Naresh Agarwal of the Samajwadi Party today.
The bill has disrupted the Rajya Sabha repeatedly in this Parliament session.
In the Uttar Pradesh elections held earlier this year, Mayawati confronted a stunning defeat partly because her traditional Dalit and lower caste supporters abandoned her party.
Last week, Mayawati rescued the government during a crucial vote on its new retail reforms in Parliament.
Though she denied that her support was conditional upon the imminent clearance of the new quota bill, sources say a deal was struck between her and the Congress, which leads the ruling coalition at the Centre.