S Ajaya Kumar (CPI-M) made a strong plea that there should be reservation in private sector.
This, he said, was necessary in view of the fact that there has been privatisation of even some public sector undertakings and that the scope of reservation was thus eroding in the government sector.
K Francis George (Kerala Congress) wanted the government to accept the recommendations of the Rangnath Mishra Commission which had favoured reservation to the Dalit Christians and Muslims.
He said that economic status does not improve even if any Dalit embraced Christianity or Islam and therefore the reservation facility should be continued to such people.
His contention was supported by Iliyas Azmi (BSP) as also Jaya Prada (SP).
Congress member Lal Singh pleaded for a fair deal to the refugees from PoK, saying they have been a "neglected" lot for the past 60 years without having any citizenship rights.