Women reservation bill, voting deffered by a day
The Rajya Sabha on Monday was a scene of chaos when the Samajwadi Party along with others opposed the controversial Women’s Reservation Bill.
The house was adjourned for the sixth time on 6 pm and the voting on the Bill was deferred to Tuesday as the BJP and the Left, both in favor of the bill, requested for a debate on the matter.
The protesting MP’s want reservation for Dalit, OBC and minority communities within the Women’s Reservation Bill’s proposed quota of 33 per cent.
Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav threatened to withdraw support with Lalu stating, “The government is trying to force the bill upon us.The Congress does not listen to anyone. The bill must bring the Asli Bharat forward…the Congress is leaving women and Muslims behind”.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with both the leaders and asked them to let the bill pass smoothly and later called for an all-party meeting to discuss the issue tomorrow.
The BJP remained firm in its stand with Sushma Swaraj saying that they would ensure the end of the ‘14 year exile’ of the Bill in the Parliament.
The Bill which was first moved into the Parliament by the BJP in 1996 remains a matter of heated debate amongst opposition parties.
