Promising to back any move in Parliament to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies, the BJP on Thursday asked the UPA Government at the Centre to bring a Bill for the same in the forthcoming Budget session itself.Addressing a rally organised by the party on the reservation issue, senior BJP leader L K Advani said the Manmohan Singh Government had promised quota for women in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies in its Common Minimum Programme but did not fulfil it.“My advice to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is not to delay it (reservation for women) further. Announce it in the President’s address and introduce the Bill in this session. It will have BJP’s support,” the Leader of the Opposition said.“I urge Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to implement what is written in your Common Minimum Programme (CMP),” the BJP leader said, adding there should be “no discrimination” against women.Taking a dig at the UPA, he said the promise of quota for women in legislative bodies is “the only mention about women” in its CMP. “There is no word on providing them education and health care”.Speaking at the rally, party president Rajnath Singh too said: “We want a Bill (on women’s quota) to be brought in Parliament. We will support the Bill in whichever form it is.” He also attacked the Government on issues of price rise and its alleged Muslim appeasement policies with an eye on vote bank. “The UPA’s CMP has become Congress-Communist Mahangai Badao (price rise),” he said. A proposal to grant 33 per cent reservation for women in elected bodies was mooted about 12 years back but it has failed to take off as there has been no political consensus on the Constitutional amendment Bill in this regard.While Congress and BJP support the move, UPA constituent Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has been insisting on providing sub-quota, preventing a consensus on the issue in the ruling coalition.
