SP, RJD to Oppose Women Bill, Demand Quota within Quota in All-party Meet

The SP and the RJD have said that in an all party meeting called by the Centre, they will oppose the Women’s Reservation Bill in its current form and adhere to their demand for quota for Muslim women and backward classes, reports said.

Ahead of the meeting called by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to find a way of the crisis on the matter, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad said that they were not against the reservation for women but would demand ‘reservation within reservation’, said reports.

The bill, which reserves 33 per cent seats for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies, was last month passed by the Rajya Sabha

“We have oppose the Bill in its present form. We are not opposed to reservation for women,” the SP supremo was quoted as saying.

He said that seats reserved for women would be rotated and it was possible that in 543-seats House, women would fight in more than 181 seats, reports said.

He added that in such a scenario, there was possibility that nearly 50 seats could be contested by men in the elections, said reports.

While, Lalu was quoted as saying: “We will not oppose reservation. We will stick to our old stand of reservation within reservation. The bill must include reservation for Muslim women, women from backward classes and dalits.”

In the meanwhile, CPM leader Brinda Karat said that her party would press the government for early passage of the bill in the ongoing session itself, reports said.

Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi opined that the strategy should be discussed in a matter there is such a large volume of bipartisan support, said reports.

The bill is expected to be taken up for consideration in Lok Sabha when it resumes the budget session on April 15.

(Based on internet reports)