Himachal Pradesh Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Rajiv Saizal, who is a Dalit, on Tuesday, 7 January, told the state assembly that he and another legislator were not allowed to enter a temple in the state. Saizal was speaking while participating in a discussion on a bill that extends reservation to SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies by another 10 years.
The state Assembly in its special one-day session ratified by a unanimous voice vote The Constitution (126th) Amendment Bill.
It had already been passed by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on 10 and 12 December, respectively. Later, the bill was sent to states for ratification as it requires the consent of at least 50 per cent of state assemblies before implementation.