New Delhi:
Monday could be one of the most historic days in the history of Parliament in India. The landmark Women's Reservation Bill, which guarantees 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha, seems likely to go through with the Congress having the numbers on its side.
One of the parties most opposed to the bill in its present form was the JD (U), but the party seems split down the middle at the moment with the Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, backing the bill despite strong opposition from senior leader Sharad Yadav.
This divide in the ranks of the Janata Dal United has raised the hopes of the UPA government. (Read: Women's Reservation Bill - Reality at last?)
The JD (U), along with the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal have famously fought against the bill. But now Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar seems to have gone against party line and backed the bill. "I think it is an idea whose time has come. I still support quota-within-quota but it should not become the ground for delaying reservation for women in legislatures," he has told a newspaper.
He has even appealed to party chief Sharad Yadav to reconsider his opposition to the bill.
A party MP from Ujiarpur, Ashwamedh Devi has also announced that she will vote in favour of the bill.
However, JD (U) President Sharad Yadav, a strong opponent of the bill ever since its introduction in 1997, said his party's opposition to the measure in its present form would continue. He said Nitish favouring the bill is his personal opinion.
"We are together in the party for ages. We don't need the media to talk to each other. I agree on your point that he (Nitish) has given a suggestion in one of the newspapers. I challenge all the national parties, if they are so confident of the bill getting through; let them not issue a whip. Why is the BJP issuing a whip?" says JD (U) president Sharad Yadav.
But even Sharad Yadav seems to be taking a softer tone now compared to his shrill rhetoric last year. This is what he had said in Parliament in June 2009. "We may not have the numbers. We will consume poison and die, but won't allow the Women's Reservation Bill passed without quota for Dalit and tribal women."
Sharad Yadav may find himself isolated on this issue with opinion within the party building up in favour of reservation for women.
The JD (U) leader in the Rajya Sabha, Shivanand Tiwari, has said they were supporting the bill. "We are in favour of Women's Reservation Bill. We believe that women's reservation is the right that women should get in democracy," he said.
And while the JD (U) tries to deal with its differences, its ally, the BJP, is clear. It will throw its weight behind the bill. The party also issued a whip on Friday.
"First and foremost, we have issued a whip to all our members and we are appealing to other parties as well in the Rajya Sabha after discussions. On Monday, the bill should be passed," says senior BJP leader Arun Jaitely.
"We have reassured the government. Despite the Congress or UPA not having a majority in the Rajya Sabha, we will lend our complete support in getting this bill passed," says party leader Sushma Swaraj.
Commenting on the bill, party president Nitin Gadkari says, "BJP is determined to ensure passage of the bill. The party has issued a whip to its MPs. It was the BJP, which first mooted the idea in 1995, and the NDA government first moved bill in Parliament. It is also the only party to give 33 per cent reservation to women in party organization posts. The UPA doesn't have majority on the bill so, we will support and appeals to all parties for support."
And the latest to come out and say its time for the Women's Reservation Bill is National Conference president and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah. He said time has come for putting women's empowerment into effect and gradually raising the reservation for women to 50 per cent.
"The bill will pass, women will get their right of 33 per cent. It's high time that women who have been neglected for such a long time from holding real power get equal share. It's a good start. On the Women's International Day, it will be a great thing for our country," the Union minister added.
Not surprisingly, the Congress is confident of pushing the bill through on Monday. Earlier today, the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, made out a strong case for women's quota in legislatures. He said the government was committed to social and economic empowerment of women. (Read: PM pitches for women's quota bill)
The Constitution amendment bill seeking to provide reservation for women in Lok Sabha and Assemblies is slated to come up for consideration on Monday in Rajya Sabha, where the JD(U) has seven MPs. The party also has 20 MPs in the Lok Sabha.
The government is happily placed in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, where it has the support of 138 members of Congress, BJP and Left parties besides a number of small parties, which takes the backing to more than 165. The special majority required in the House with an effective strength of 233 is 155. ( Read: Women's quota: The numbers game)
Kumar said that it would be good if the government accepts the demand for introducing quota within quota but it would not be appropriate to block the bill on the issue.
"Ideally, women of extremely backward and backward castes should be provided reservation in both Parliament and Assembly. We will keep our efforts on for getting it," he added.
On Kumar's stand, Yadav told reporters in Delhi that the Chief Minister had also talked to him about his "suggestion" and pointed out that he had strongly opposed the measure in the past demanding quota within quota for women belonging to backward castes.
Asked whether he was rejecting Kumar's suggestion, he evaded a direct reply saying, "the answer is in what I have said."
To a question whether the party would oppose the bill when it comes before Rajya Sabha, Yadav said that his party's opposition was not of one day.
Yadav dared both BJP and Congress to seek passage of the bill without issuing any whip to their members. (Read: Congress, BJP issue whip for Women's Reservation Bill)
"If they are saying that they have majority then I challenge them not to issue any whip to their members on the issue. JD(U) will also not issue a whip and then if they succeed in passing the bill, I will be the first to accept it," Yadav said adding this will reveal to both the parties what is the internal situation in their organizations over the issue.
Yadav also stressed that it was former BJP leader Uma Bharti, who along with Nitish Kumar and few others had given her dissent to the Bill more than a decade back.
He also accused the proponents of the Bill of "bulldozing" 80 per cent of the population and said that they are the real opponents of the empowerment of women.
"We are in favour of the empowerment of the majority of women but it is being said that we are opposing it," Yadav said adding that those, who are pushing for the Bill in its present form "at the instance of some NGOs and women in Delhi" are its real opponents. (With PTI inputs)
One of the parties most opposed to the bill in its present form was the JD (U), but the party seems split down the middle at the moment with the Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, backing the bill despite strong opposition from senior leader Sharad Yadav.
This divide in the ranks of the Janata Dal United has raised the hopes of the UPA government. (Read: Women's Reservation Bill - Reality at last?)
The JD (U), along with the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal have famously fought against the bill. But now Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar seems to have gone against party line and backed the bill. "I think it is an idea whose time has come. I still support quota-within-quota but it should not become the ground for delaying reservation for women in legislatures," he has told a newspaper.
He has even appealed to party chief Sharad Yadav to reconsider his opposition to the bill.
A party MP from Ujiarpur, Ashwamedh Devi has also announced that she will vote in favour of the bill.
However, JD (U) President Sharad Yadav, a strong opponent of the bill ever since its introduction in 1997, said his party's opposition to the measure in its present form would continue. He said Nitish favouring the bill is his personal opinion.
"We are together in the party for ages. We don't need the media to talk to each other. I agree on your point that he (Nitish) has given a suggestion in one of the newspapers. I challenge all the national parties, if they are so confident of the bill getting through; let them not issue a whip. Why is the BJP issuing a whip?" says JD (U) president Sharad Yadav.
But even Sharad Yadav seems to be taking a softer tone now compared to his shrill rhetoric last year. This is what he had said in Parliament in June 2009. "We may not have the numbers. We will consume poison and die, but won't allow the Women's Reservation Bill passed without quota for Dalit and tribal women."
Sharad Yadav may find himself isolated on this issue with opinion within the party building up in favour of reservation for women.
The JD (U) leader in the Rajya Sabha, Shivanand Tiwari, has said they were supporting the bill. "We are in favour of Women's Reservation Bill. We believe that women's reservation is the right that women should get in democracy," he said.
And while the JD (U) tries to deal with its differences, its ally, the BJP, is clear. It will throw its weight behind the bill. The party also issued a whip on Friday.
"First and foremost, we have issued a whip to all our members and we are appealing to other parties as well in the Rajya Sabha after discussions. On Monday, the bill should be passed," says senior BJP leader Arun Jaitely.
"We have reassured the government. Despite the Congress or UPA not having a majority in the Rajya Sabha, we will lend our complete support in getting this bill passed," says party leader Sushma Swaraj.
Commenting on the bill, party president Nitin Gadkari says, "BJP is determined to ensure passage of the bill. The party has issued a whip to its MPs. It was the BJP, which first mooted the idea in 1995, and the NDA government first moved bill in Parliament. It is also the only party to give 33 per cent reservation to women in party organization posts. The UPA doesn't have majority on the bill so, we will support and appeals to all parties for support."
And the latest to come out and say its time for the Women's Reservation Bill is National Conference president and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah. He said time has come for putting women's empowerment into effect and gradually raising the reservation for women to 50 per cent.
"The bill will pass, women will get their right of 33 per cent. It's high time that women who have been neglected for such a long time from holding real power get equal share. It's a good start. On the Women's International Day, it will be a great thing for our country," the Union minister added.
Not surprisingly, the Congress is confident of pushing the bill through on Monday. Earlier today, the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, made out a strong case for women's quota in legislatures. He said the government was committed to social and economic empowerment of women. (Read: PM pitches for women's quota bill)
The Constitution amendment bill seeking to provide reservation for women in Lok Sabha and Assemblies is slated to come up for consideration on Monday in Rajya Sabha, where the JD(U) has seven MPs. The party also has 20 MPs in the Lok Sabha.
The government is happily placed in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, where it has the support of 138 members of Congress, BJP and Left parties besides a number of small parties, which takes the backing to more than 165. The special majority required in the House with an effective strength of 233 is 155. ( Read: Women's quota: The numbers game)
Kumar said that it would be good if the government accepts the demand for introducing quota within quota but it would not be appropriate to block the bill on the issue.
"Ideally, women of extremely backward and backward castes should be provided reservation in both Parliament and Assembly. We will keep our efforts on for getting it," he added.
On Kumar's stand, Yadav told reporters in Delhi that the Chief Minister had also talked to him about his "suggestion" and pointed out that he had strongly opposed the measure in the past demanding quota within quota for women belonging to backward castes.
Asked whether he was rejecting Kumar's suggestion, he evaded a direct reply saying, "the answer is in what I have said."
To a question whether the party would oppose the bill when it comes before Rajya Sabha, Yadav said that his party's opposition was not of one day.
Yadav dared both BJP and Congress to seek passage of the bill without issuing any whip to their members. (Read: Congress, BJP issue whip for Women's Reservation Bill)
"If they are saying that they have majority then I challenge them not to issue any whip to their members on the issue. JD(U) will also not issue a whip and then if they succeed in passing the bill, I will be the first to accept it," Yadav said adding this will reveal to both the parties what is the internal situation in their organizations over the issue.
Yadav also stressed that it was former BJP leader Uma Bharti, who along with Nitish Kumar and few others had given her dissent to the Bill more than a decade back.
He also accused the proponents of the Bill of "bulldozing" 80 per cent of the population and said that they are the real opponents of the empowerment of women.
"We are in favour of the empowerment of the majority of women but it is being said that we are opposing it," Yadav said adding that those, who are pushing for the Bill in its present form "at the instance of some NGOs and women in Delhi" are its real opponents. (With PTI inputs)
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