House still divided, little trust between Cong, SP

Mulayam Singh Yadav got up to clarify his party’s stand. He said his party was not opposed to women’s reservation, but wanted the rights of Dalit, backward and Muslim women to be protected. Chatterjee claimed that there was a ‘‘sharp division’’ with the NDA on the Bill. JD (U) member Devendra Prasad Yadav said pointing at the BJP and the Congress that ‘‘these two parties don’t want to get the Bill passed’’. This prompted Congress chief whip whip Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi to claim the NDA was divided over the Bill.

Shivraj Patil told Sushma: ‘‘Don’t shift the responsibility to us or the Chair.’’ He contended that it was the Government responsibility to get a Bill passed. He offered the Congress support for the purpose.

Mulayam warned the Congress against pressing the issue at a time when the House was discussing a no-trust motion. ‘‘I don’t know what my Congress friends want,’’ he said, declaring that ‘‘we will not let it be passed. Do you want OBC quota? Tell us.’’ He went on to claim that there had been a way out to end the impasse over the Bill. ‘‘The Prime Minister was agreeable to it,’’ but the Congress rejected it.

He said he had not touched the issue to avoid projecting disunity in the Opposition but he was constrained to make his party’s stand clear. He said even if the Congress, the BJP and the Left got together to pass the Bill, his party would not allow it. He felt the Bill in its present form would ‘‘only help women like Soniaji and Sushmaji to come to Parliament.’’ He said all parties should accept the Election Commission suggestion that parties allot certain number of seats to women candidates.

Samata MP Prabhunath Singh declared: ‘‘A majority of this House is with Mulayamji on the issue.’’ BJP member Uma Bharti opposed reservations on communal lines and appealed to members to allow the introduction of the Bill in whatever form and then bring in amendments. Mulayam said: ‘‘Sonia Gandhi, Margaret Alva, Uma Bharti, Sushma Swaraj and all my beautiful sisters should come together and bring the Bill’’ which would protect the rights of Dalit, OBC and Muslim women.