WOMEN 2LST

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal
told reporters that the government was determined to go ahead
with the measure saying that with the backing of the
Congress, BJP and the Left parties it faces "no problem" in
either the Rajya Sabha or the Lok Sabha, Lower House.

"There is no problem. We are talking to everyone.
After being passed in the Rajya Sabha, it will be taken up in
the Lok Sabha," Bansal said.
Sources said the government was factoring into
account the issue of the bad blood that may be created if the
bill was to be passed in the teeth of opposition from parties
which were now now supporting it from outside.
In an apparent last-ditch effort to delay the measure,
RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, a vocal critic of the Bill in its
present form, met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
asked for an all party meeting to discuss the issue.
"BJP will fully support the Bill. This Bill is a long
standing commitment," Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
Arun Jaitley said noting that Congress and its allies were in
a minority in the Upper House and could not manage passage
of the Bill on its own.
Jaitley's contention meant that BJP also wanted due
credit for its suppport to the legislation being hailed as a
landmark measure for women's empowerment.
In the Rajya Sabha Congress has 71 members, BJP 45,
Communist Party of India (Marxist) 15, All India Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam 7, Nationalist Congress Party 6, CPI 5,
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 4, Biju Janata Dal 4, Telugu Desham
and Trinamool Congress 2 each and Forward Block 1. All these
parties are known to be supporters of the legislation which
takes the number to 162. PTI AMI
KAB


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