As the Union Cabinet cleared the Women's Reservation Bill,the Congress on Thursday appealed to all parties to adopt a constructive approach towards its passage and opposition BJP pledged support but RJD appeared to be sticking to its stand of a quota within quota. "We expect that every political party will take a constructive view and facilitate the empowerment of women," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said. He said the approval is a "reflection" of the Congress' commitment to women's cause. "It also proves that we always stand by the word that we give to the nation," he said. The Bill,which seeks to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies,has been hanging fire for the last over a decade for want of political consensus with parties like SP and RJD seeking a quota within quota for women from backward classes. BJP said it will support the legislation in Parliament. "We welcome this move of the Cabinet. The government should not delay it further. We will support the Bill when it is comes up for discussion and passing," senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said. However,participating in a discussion on price rise in the Lok Sabha during the day,RJD chief Lalu Prasad reaffirmed his party's view that "there should be a quota within quota for women from backward classes." He also questioned the government's priority. "As the common man is facing back-breaking prices,the government's priority seems to be passage of Women's Reservation Bill," Prasad said.
