Click to play videoNew Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has done a U-turn on the Women's Reservation Bill saying that he never asked for quota within a quota.
In an exclusive interview to Network18's Hindi news channel IBN7 Mulayam said that he never even demanded quota for minorities within the 33 per cent seats proposed to be reserved for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies if the Bill is passed.
Instead he said that he favoured the political parties reserving tickets for women candidates.
"We are in favour of women's reservation but we want only 20 per cent reservation and that too it should be left to the party," said Mulayam.
When asked about his demand about quota within quota, Mulayam denied that he every made such a demand
"This is a rumour, I never talked about quota within quota," he said.
"All I mean is that it should be up to the party to give 20 per cent tickets to female candidates failing which the party's registration should be cancelled," added the Samajwadi Party chief.
Earlier, Mulayam along with Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad and Janata Dal (United) President Sharad Yadav had been demanding a separate quota for the women belonging to Dalit, other backward castes and Muslim communities.
He and Lalu had even threatened to withdraw their support to the United Progressive Alliance Government if their demands were not met.
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