Click to play videoNew Delhi: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Samajwadi Party on Monday withdrew support from the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government following differences over the Women's Reservation Bill.
"We gave support to keep BJP out of power. There is no question of giving the support now (to UPA)," said RJD chief Lalu Prasad in New Delhi on Monday while addressing the media along with Samajwadi supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.
"This is political dacoity. We will not allow this to happen. They (Government) have not consulted us and we will us all the means available to us to stop this Bill. We want reservation for the women who work in fields, work under the NREGA scheme, backward, Dalits and Muslims. By not giving them reservation UPA is ignoring a large section of women in rural India," said Lalu.
"It has been proved that the Government do not want women from these (Dalits, OBCs and Muslims) sections to come forward," added Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The two parties have been supporting the UPA Government from outside.
Both parties have been opposing the Women's Reservation Bill demanding a quota within the women's quota for other backward castes (OBC) women and Muslim women.
Mulayam had on Sunday demanded that the Bill, which reserves 33 per cent seats in Parliament and in state assemblies for women, should have a "sub-quota" for Dalits, OBC and minorities.
Together the two parties have 26 MPs in the Lok Sabha with 22 members belonging to the Samajwadi Party and four from the RJD. However, Samajwadi Party has already expelled its Lok Sabha MP Jaya Prada from the party.
Without the support of RJD and Samajwadi Party, the UPA enjoys the support of 289 MPs in the 543-member Lok Sabha.
The Samajwadi Party has 12 MPs and the RJD has four MPs in the 233-member Rajya Sabha.
UPA's strength in the Lok Sabha after RJD and Samajawadi Party withdrew their support: Congress 208, Trinamool Congress 19, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 18, Nationalist Congress Party nine, National Conference three, Indian Union Muslim League two, Kerala Congress (Mani) one, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (ally of the DMK) one, Janata Dal (Secular) three, Bodoland People's Front one, Nagaland People's Front one, Sikkim Democratic Front one and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha one.
The Bahujan Samaj Party with 21 MPs extends outside support to the Government.
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