New Delhi:
The all-party meeting on the Women's Reservation Bill ended today with SP, BSP deciding to stay away from it. Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar said consultations will continue, signaling the meet was inconclusive.
Speaker Miera Kumar who had convened the all-party meeting, ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, declared, "Some changes are needed in the Women's Reservation Bill."
Though the Constitution Amendment Bill has been passed in the Rajya Sabha, consensus eludes the measure in the Lok Sabha with parties like the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal (United) seeking a quota within quota for women from backward classes. In a letter to political parties, Ms. Kumar has asked them to take steps for early passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha.
The Women's Reservation Bill has been hanging fire for the last fourteen years. It was first drafted by the H D Deve Gowda-led United Front government and brought to Parliament in September 1996.
Speaker Miera Kumar who had convened the all-party meeting, ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, declared, "Some changes are needed in the Women's Reservation Bill."
Though the Constitution Amendment Bill has been passed in the Rajya Sabha, consensus eludes the measure in the Lok Sabha with parties like the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal (United) seeking a quota within quota for women from backward classes. In a letter to political parties, Ms. Kumar has asked them to take steps for early passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha.
The Women's Reservation Bill has been hanging fire for the last fourteen years. It was first drafted by the H D Deve Gowda-led United Front government and brought to Parliament in September 1996.
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