DAY AFTER Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked the BJP-led government to ensure the passage of the women’s reservation bill, the government on Tuesday tried to put the ball in the Opposition’s court, urging it to join hands to pass a number of legislation, including the triple talaq bill, so that equality could be provided to women. On the eve of Parliament’s monsoon session, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wrote to Rahul suggesting that the Congress should join hands with the BJP to pass three bills — women’s reservation bill, the bill prohibiting triple talaq and nikah halala and the bill to grant constitutional status to the National Commission on Backward Classes. “As national parties we cannot have two sets of standards in dealing with women and their rights. We are already late in conferring the right of adequate representation, equality in personal laws and doing away with such provisions which compromise with women’s dignity,” Prasad said in his letter. Read | Show commitment to women’s cause, pass reservation Bill: Rahul Gandhi to Modi While welcoming Rahul’s “initiative to support” the women’s bill, Prasad wondered why the UPA government had not taken up the bill, which was passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2008, in the Lok Sabha during its regime. “The government would like to know whether all your allies and other opposition parties who are coordinating with you will also be supporting the bill and not disrupting the House as they had done on earlier occasions when the bill was brought to Parliament,” Prasad said, adding that the BJP and NDA backed the bill in the Rajya Sabha. He was referring to the objections raised by the RJD and SP, which are now friendly to the Congress, to the bill. Seeking the Congress’s support in passing the bill to grant constitutional status to the National Commission of Backward Classes, Prasad wrote: “It also deserves your party’s unqualified support for assured passage.” Also Read | Congress has double standards on women’s Bill: Prakash Javadekar He added that the government awaited an early response from the Congress chief. Prospects of bringing the women’s reservation bill to the Lok Sabha for debate also figured in the NDA meeting held on Tuesday. Some of the leaders said that a discussion over the bill could “expose” the differences among the Opposition parties over the issue. In the meeting, LJP leader and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan sought a bill to restore the original provisions of a law against atrocities against Dalits and also asked the Centre to take measures on several issues related to the community. Party leader and MP Chirag Paswan said a recent Supreme Court order on the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act had “weakened” the law and the government should immediately bring an amendment bill to deal with it. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed with the suggestion that NDA parties should be meeting more often formally or informally. “A resolution praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the government’s decision to hike the minimum support price given to farmers for their produce, was passed in the meeting,” he said, adding that leaders from all allies agreed that the decision is aimed at doubling income of farmers. Addressing the NDA MPs, Modi said the ruling alliance is in power in 21 states “and our family is expanding further”. He also asked all MPs to attend the session and remain present in all its sittings. “The Prime Minister told MPs that they should attend the session and prepare themselves to expose the Opposition’s lies during the proceedings,” Kumar said. The BJP Parliamentary Party Executive also met and appointed Anurag Thakur as the Chief Whip of Lok Sabha. Thakur replaces Rakesh Singh, who was recently made MP BJP president.
