Government promises all-party meet on UPSC issue

Prakash Javadekar said that the preliminary examination scheduled for August 24 should be allowed to be held

The uproar over the civil service examination issue continued in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday despite the government's assurance that an all-party meeting will be called to discuss the imbroglio.

Participating in a brief discussion on the issue, D Raja of the Communist Party of India said: "UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) should make available question papers in all Indian languages".

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, however, said: "The government took a step after a lot of consideration and thought. This problem was started by Congress and UPA. Now the NDA and BJP has come up with a proper solution for that," Naqvi said.

Responding to the debate, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Prakash Javadekar said the government would convene an all-party meeting on the issue.

"We will convene an all-party meeting to seek the views of the leaders on bringing reforms in the pattern of civil services examinations conducted by the UPSC," Javadekar said.

He said that the preliminary examination scheduled for August 24 should be allowed to be held.

"Government has already announced some measures in this regard and we are also considering other options as suggested by the members," he said.

Dissatisfied with the minister's response, members of the Left, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party staged a walkout.

The upper house was then adjourned till 2 pm.