'A great day', say women MPs as Meira becomes Speaker

New Delhi, June 3 (PTI) Cutting across party lines, women
MPs Wednesday hailed the election of Meira Kumar as the Lok
Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliamnet) Speaker and hoped
that the women's reservation bill will be soon passed by
Parliament.

"It is a great day. When women come out in politics, it
is a good sign for the country," Krishna Tirath, Minister for
Women and Child Development, told reporters outside Parliament
House after Kumar was elected as the first woman Speaker.

Tirath said a large number of women have come to
Parliament without quota and hoped that the "dream for women's
reservation would be realised soon".

Minister of State for Rural Development Agatha Sangma
said she felt "good" about the election of Kumar and the
victory of a large number of women in the Lok Sabha elections.

"We will try for reservation for women (in legislatures).
We have a better chance this time," the youngest minister in
the Cabinet, who belongs to the NCP, said.

Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur said it was a "great day",
and hoped that the election of the 64-year-old Dalit leader to
the top Constitutional post will usher in a new age in
politics.

Asked whether women occupying top jobs like that of the
President and Speaker was merely symbolic, Kaur said,
"whatever you call it, it is a step in the right direction".

She said women should get their rights which were denied
to them earlier.

Congress MP from Chittorgarh Girija Vyas also lauded
Meira Kumar's election as Lok Sabha Speaker.

"It is a matter of great pride. So many years after
Independence, such a thing has happened. This will go a long
way in giving respect to womanhood in the country," she said.

When asked whether the Women's Reservation Bill would now
be passed, Vyas expressed confidence that it will receive
support from all the parties.

"We are now sure that the Bill will be passed and all
parties would support it," she said.

Samajwadi Party MP from Rampur Jaya Prada also
congratulated Kumar. "It is a good day for all women,
especially those belonging to Dalit and backward caste
communities," she told reporters.

She clarified that her party was not opposed to
reservation for women. "We never opposed reservation for
women. In fact, we have always asked why no consensus has been
arrived at on the Bill in Parliament and no debate is held on
it. The current form of the Bill is not realistic and
therefore it needs to be changed through consensus."

Minister of State for HRD D Purandeswari said it "is an
unforgettable day. I hope Kumar will take a proactive stance
towards implementation of the Bill". PTI AMR