Cong, Left for passing Women’s Reservation Bill in winter session

NEW DELHI, November 30: Sensing the BJP's unwillingness to push the Women's Reservation Bill, the Congress and the Left parties have deci...

NEW DELHI, November 30: Sensing the BJP’s unwillingness to push the Women’s Reservation Bill, the Congress and the Left parties have decided to press for passage of the Bill during the ongoing winter session of the Parliament.

Congress leaders have already informally conveyed to the Government that they are ready to support the Bill in its present form: reserving 33 per cent seats in Parliament and State Assemblies for 15 years on a rotation basis every five years, so as to cover all seats within next 15 years.

The Left parties, advocating women empowerment, too are eager to pass the bill. But the Government fears strong opposition from Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party.

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Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee told an agitated CPM leader Gita Mukherjee yesterday that he apprehended the SP, BSP and RJD members to physically resist introduction of the Bill in Lok Sabha.

Vajpayee has apparently wisened up after his experience during the last Lok Sabha when some RJD and SP memberssnatched the copy of the bill from the then parliamentary affairs minister P R Kumaramangalam when he was about to introduce the Bill in Lok Sabha. The incident has sparked off angry protests from women MPs, with Mamata Banerjee alleging manhandling by SP member Surendra Singh.l

In its bid to shift the onus on the Opposition, the Government today set a condition to introduce the Bill in the Lok Sabha: Leader of Opposition Sonia Gandhi should give a commitment to support the Bill.

On the other hand, Congress leaders accuse the Government of buckling under pressure by some constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) like the Samata Party and Janata Dal (United) who want a 27 per cent quota for OBCs within the 33 per cent reservation for women in State Assemblies and the Parliament.

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