RS passes historic Women's Reservation Bill

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) A historic bill granting 33 per
cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of
Indian Parliament) and State Assemblies was Tuesday passed by
the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) after two days of high drama
that saw suspension of seven members who violently disrupted
proceedings.

The Women's Reservation Bill, pushed by the Indian
government despite the threat of withdrawal of support by
Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), was
passed by a two-third majority, a day after it was moved in
the House for consideration but could not be taken up because
of unruly scenes.
Of the votes polled, 186 were in favour of the bill and
only one was against.
The Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill could get through
with "unequivocal" support from the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) and the Left in the Upper House where the ruling United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition is in minority. The
245-member House has an effective strength of 233.
UPA ally Trinamool Congress, with two members in the Upper
House, did not participate in the voting.
India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Leader of
Opposition Arun Jaitley described the measure as "momentous
and historic".
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), having 12 members, walked out
of the House saying the bill did not contain amendments
suggested by it.
Lok Sabha also witnessed unruly scenes created by SP, RJD
and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) who forced four adjournments.
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