Cong, SP get down to blows over Women's Bill | Pics

WOMEN ON TOP: Lalu Prasad reiterated his stand that there should be quota within the quota for women.

    

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New Delhi: The much-delayed Bill providing 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures was introduced in Rajya Sabha amid high drama and protests by Samajwadi Party (SP) members on Tuesday.

Law Minister H R Bhardwaj introduced the controversial Bill in the midst of Samajwadi Party members trying to snatch its copies from the hands of the Minister. But the Congress MPs formed a human chain around Bhardwaj as he introduced the Bill by a voice vote.

To protest against the Bill, SP members also reportedly threw papers at the Congress MPs.

SP members stormed the well soon after the House resumed at noon in an apparent attempt to stall introduction of the Bill which they have been opposing along with JD(U).

An agitated SP MP Abu Azmi said, “If given a chance I would have torn the Bill.”

However, Congress members intervened and Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chaudhary repulsed SP’s attempts by pushing Azmi away.

Expecting trouble, Bharadwaj was seated in the middle row of the treasury benches flanked by two women ministers – Kumari Selja and Ambika Soni. Congress women MPs Jayanti Natarajan and Alka Balram Kshatriya also guarded Bharadwaj from SP members.

Top leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and BJP leader Jaswant Singh were witness to the high drama. Several Lok Sabha MPs were also seated in the gallery.

However, the disruptions – that included raising of slogans against MNS chief Raj Thackeray – could not dissuade the Government from going ahead and introducing Bill which was cleared by the Union Cabinet on Monday night.

Meanwhile, there were no protests from the RJD but Lalu Prasad said he retains his objections regarding the Bill and there should be quota within the quota for women.

“I oppose the Women’s Reservation Bill. If it’s approved then the political party should be given the freedom to decide on quota,” Lalu Prasad said.

The BSP though, is opposed to the idea of a quota within the quota.

“We will fight for 50 per cent. Our only objection is we can’t have a quota within a quota,” MP and BSP General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra told CNN-IBN.

Different governments since 1996 have tried to get the Women's Reservation Bill passed without success.

It was one of the main promises in the National Common Minimum Programme of the UPA government as well. However, Manmohan Singh government could not secure political consensus among the UPA partners, notably RJD.

The BJP and Left favoured the measure aimed at women's empowerment.

The main objection from the SP, JD(U) as also the RJD related to their demand for quota within quota.

The latest attempt comes in the last year of the tenure of the UPA Government, which has managed to see through some of the flagship programmes like the RTI, NREGA as also the OBC quota in higher educational institutions.