Support for women's bill in India grows

New Delhi, Mar 6 (PTI) After 13 years in hibernation, the
prospects of passage of the controversial women's reservation
bill Saturday brightened with sharp divisions coming to the
fore among one of the main the opponents of the
measure--Janata Dal (United)--as Indian state Bihar Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar declared his support.
Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam, National Conferene and Akali
Dal, together accounting for nine Members of Parliament in
Rajya Sabha (Upper House), Saturday day also pledged their
backing to the Constitution amendment bill, which has
been put up in the business schedule of the Upper House on
Monday, placing the government in a comfortable position in
the game of numbers.
Kumar's support came as a bolt from the blue for his
party chief Sharad Yadav, a strong opponent of the bill since
1997 when it was first introduced, who said the party was
still opposed to it. JD-U has seven MPs in Rajya Sabha and 20
in the Lok Sabha.
As it is a Constitution amendment bill, its passage
requires a special majority of two-third backing of at least
155 members in a House 245 with an effective strength of 233.
The government has the clear support of 138 members of
Congress, BJP and Left parties besides that of a number of
small parties, which takes the backing to more than 165.
Kumar, who had given a dissent note opposing the Bill
in the mid-nineties, Saturday said the time has now now given
for passage of the bill and it would not not be good to block
it.
"When I was a member of the Joint Parliamentary
Committee, I had given a dissent note (more than a decade
ago). Now the time has come to give women reservation in
Parliament and State Assemblies. I will talk to Sharadji and
appeal to him to ensure passage of the bill," told
reporters in Patna.
Kumar said that it would be good if the government
accepts the demand for introducing quota within quota but it
would not be appropriate to block the bill on the issue.
"Ideally, women of extremely backward and backward
castes should be provided reservation in both Parliament and
Assembly. We will keep our efforts on for getting it," he
added.
However, JD-U President Sharad Yadav, a strong
opponent of the Bill ever since its introduction in 1997, said
his party's opposition to the measure in its present form
would continue.
On Kumar's stand, Yadav told reporters in Delhi that
the Chief Minister had also talked to him about his
"suggestion" and pointed out that he had strongly opposed the
measure in the past demanding quota within quota for women
belonging to backward castes.
Asked whether he was rejecting Kumar's suggestion, he
evaded a direct reply saying,"the answer is in what I have
said."

To a question whether the party would oppose the Bill
when it comes before Rajya Sabha, Yadav said that his party's
opposition was not transient.
Yadav dared both BJP and Congress to seek passage of
the bill without issuing any whip to their members.
"If they are saying that they have majority then I
challenge them not to issue any whip to their members on the
issue. JD-U will also not issue a whip and then if they
succeed in passing the bill, I will be the first to accept
it," Yadav said adding this will "expose" the "internal
situation" in their organizations on the issue.
Expressing his party's support, DMK leader and Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said issues like sub-quota
raised by other parties could be sorted out later.
"Let us first accept the invitation for the feast and
then decide what delicacy is good for us and what is not not,"
he said in his inimitable style.
Akali Dal, an ally of the BJP, announced that it
would issue a whip to its MPs to ensure their presence and
support to the Bill.
Party president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister
Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife, Sukhbir, asserted that their
party was always in favour of reservation for women.
Meanwhile, Congress and the BJP sought to take credit
for the legislation. PTI Team
KAB