Women's bill: UPA, allies fail to reach consensus

With a major United Progressive Alliance constituent Rashtriya Janata Dal and outside supporters Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party pitching for quota for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Communities women, consensus continued to elude the Women's Reservation Bill which is unlikely to see the light of the day during the current session of Parliament.

A two-and-a-half hour meeting of UPA constituents and supporting parties, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, failed to produce a consensus on the much-publicised Bill which seeks to earmark 33 per cent seats in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for women.

The meeting was attended by leaders of Left parties, the RJD, SP, BSP, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad were also present.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, RJD supremo and Union Minister Lalu Prasad said that if the bill in its original form was introduced, then a separate quota should be earmarked for Muslims, SC, ST and OBC women.

Otherwise, he favoured only 10 per cent or a maximum 15 of per cent quota for women irrespective of the category to which they belonged.

Observing that the RJD was committed to social justice, Lalu said that whether it was the old or the new bill, his party was not against the women's reservation legislation.

Also read: Women MPs toe party lines on Reservation Bill

Echoing similar views, BSP supremo Mayawati said her party was not against reservation for women but demanded quota for SC, ST and OBC women within the reservation.
    
Samajwadi Party leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav opposed rotation of seats saying it would 'hamper' development work as members may not take interest in their constituencies.

On the provision for 33 per cent reservation, he said it was against democratic norms and cited instances of countries like the United States and the United Kingdom where there was no reservation.
    
He said that as seats were already reserved for SC and ST, earmarking additional 33 per cent for women would affect the other sections of the society. "This will be unfair," he said and favoured that parties should be asked to leave 10 per cent seats for women while distributing tickets.

To a question, he said the SP would oppose the bill if the government went ahead with the measure.

LJP President and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said he was in favour of 33 per cent reservation and felt that if a sub-quota could be introduced for OBC, ST and SC women it would be welcome. "But the bill should not be stopped."

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Brinda Karat said that except for the RJD and the SP, all other parties supported the original legislation.

"We have left it to the government as to which form it wants to bring in the bill," she said, adding that her party wanted the measure to be passed without any further delay.
    
Communist Party of India leader Gurudas Dasgupta said his party supported the first bill and at the same time made it clear that it would not stand in the way of passing the second bill, which seeks to raise the number of seats to accommodate women, if there was consensus on it.
    
Congress leader Ambika Soni said Monday's meeting was part of the ongoing exercise to evolve a consensus and added that discussions were held 'freely and frankly.'

Asked whether the bill would be introduced in the current session, she said there was no decision on it. But, the discussions would definitely help the prime minister to firm up his views on the landmark legislation, she added.