MPs may just pay lip-service today

Addressing a press conference this afternoon, Muslim MPs from all parties said that reserving one-third for women was an attempt to deny minorities and backward classes their due share in power. They were not against a quota for women, but proportionate representation (according to their population) should first be given to minorities and backward classes, they said.

Out of this quota, they would give one-third reservation to women, they argued. They said if the minorities were given proportionate and separate reservation, there could have been at least 108 MPs in the Lok Sabha as minorities account for around 20 per cent of the country’s total population. Muslim League MP G M Banatwala said that at no point of time had minorities had a combined strength of 50 MPs in the Lok Sabha. The Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh state assemblies did not have a single MLA while Gujarat had only one minority Legislator, he said.

Janata Dal MPs M A Fatmi and Qamrul Islam argued that if the Bill was passed, the total quantum of reservation would cross the 50 per cent limit fixed by the Supreme Court. The MPs wanted to know if chief ministers had been consulted, since this would also affect legislatures.

Their joint statement was signed also by Mohd Ilyas Azmi (Bahujan Samaj Party) and Taslimuddin (JD).

Affairs Minister Srikanta Jena said that if time permitted, the Women’s Bill would be discussed in the Lok Sabha tomorrow. He also said that if all parties agreed, the session (due to end tomorrow) could be extended by a day or two in order to pass the Bill.

There was an all-party meeting on the Bill this morning, attended by Prime Minister I K Gujral. Jena said later that a majority of the party leaders had favoured reservation for women.