Following protests on 13-point roster, Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm

Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2 pm on Thursday after a short discussion and protests on the 13-point roster system which opposition parties alleged diluted the reservation in teaching posts for SC, ST, and OBC candidates.

Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav began a discussion and said that under the new system, SC and ST candidates would get reservations in faculties after decades because departments have been considered as one unit of reservation rather than the full university.

Yadav demanded that the government should bring an ordinance to roll back this new system that was implemented after the Supreme Court upheld an order of Allahabad High Court. 

Ramgopal Yadav also said that 13 universities have already published ads for 706 posts which is inappropriate.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Satish Chandra Mishra, on the other hand, said that HRD minister should assure the House that no appointments would be done under the new system.

HRD minister reiterated his assurance given on Wednesday- the government will file a review petition before the Supreme Court and that it is committed to reservations.

However, opposition members were not happy with the minister's statement and began protesting in the well of the House. 

The Upper House chairman M Venkaiah Naidu then adjourned the  House till 2 pm.

Earlier, Naidu also appealed to the House to start a discussion on the motion of thanks on the President's address as only three official days were remaining.

Naidu had briefly adjourned the House for 10 minutes to generate a consensus between government and opposition on the discussion.