The Haryana Assembly on Monday ratified a bill to extend reservation to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for another 10 years.

In a special session of the state Assembly, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar moved an official resolution in the House to ratify the Constitution (126th Amendment) Bill 2019 extending reservation for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities in Lok Sabha and state assemblies by another 10 years.   

The House unanimously passed the resolution. The Assembly session had been specially convened to ratify the bill passed by the parliament recently. It was adjourned soon after the Bill was passed.

The provision giving reservation to SC and ST communities for the past 70 years in Lok Sabha and state assemblies was due to expire on January 25, 2020. The Parliament recently passed a constitution amendment bill in this regard and it has to be ratified by at least 50 per cent of the assemblies before it becomes a law.

TRIBUTES PAID TO DEPARTED LEADERS

Members paid tributes to former Union minister I D Swami, veteran Congress leader Shamsher Singh Surjewala, senior journalist and former BJP MP Ashwini Kumar Chopra among others from the state who passed away.

The House also condoled the deaths of security forces hailing from the state, who had laid down their lives while on duty. Tributes were paid to those who passed away between the end of the previous session and the beginning of the current session.

Khattar, who is also the Leader of the House, paid tribute to the departed souls and read out the obituary resolutions.  Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda also read obituary resolutions on behalf of his party and paid tributes to the departed souls.

Paying tributes to Swami, the chief minister said the country has lost a seasoned parliamentarian and an able administrator. Both Khattar and Hooda described Surjewala, a former Haryana minister as an able and experienced leader.

Paying his tributes, Hooda said, “Surjewala was a five-time MLA and one time Rajya Sabha member. He was president of Haryana Krishak Samaj. He made great contribution for the Congress party. He served as Haryana Congress president and also served as Leader of Opposition and a CLP leader.”

Honouring Chopra, who died last week following prolonged illness, Khattar said the senior journalist was a committed social worker and had great love for sports. “In his death, the country has lost an able parliamentarian,” he added. Hooda said Chopra came from a prominent family of freedom fighters.

Earlier, the sitting began with Haryana Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya making a brief address to the members.

While extending New Year greetings to the members, the governor informed the House that since it was a special session to ratify the Constitution amendment Bill, he would deliver the full address during the Assembly's budget session, which was likely to be held next month.

HOODA MIFFED ON ABSENCE OF QUESTION HOUR

Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda termed the duration of the special session as inadequate. After the session,  Hooda said that during the session there were many issues on which the government had to give  a reply. But this could not happen. “If the special session of the Legislative Assembly had been of long duration, all the legislators would have had an opportunity to raise problems of their respective constituencies. At the same time, many burning issues would also be discussed which would solve people's problems,” he said

Former Education Minister and Congress leader Gita Bhukkal said, “This was the third session of the newly constituted Vidhan Sabha which was held without a question hour and a zero hour. In the first session, MLAs were administered oath of office while the second was a special session to mark Constitution Day. I wanted to raise crucial questions of my constituency as well as issues related to people of the State like sugarcane purchase, crime against women, lack of irrigation and an ailing hospital among others. Legislators of other parties would also have raised the issues of their constituency.”