Govt forced us to tear the Women's Bill: Mulayam

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said on Tuesday that the government forced them to behave badly in Parliament by tearing the Women Reservation Bill copy.

Lawmakers of the SP and the Rashtriya Janata Dal had stormed the well of the house on Monday and tore the copy of the bill as soon as the house was back to business for the fourth time in the day.

Defending the behaviour of his lawmakers, Yadav said the government forced them to act in the manner, as it did not take its allies into confidence before tabling the bill in parliament.

"Is it the right thing to do that you present the bill according to your will? When there is a government, then it should take its allies into confidence, but then it is trying to pass the bill forcibly. Will the bill be forcibly passed? Whatever we are doing, the government had forced us to do. The government did not take us in confidence," Singh said.

"We are not against women reservation. We want that women reservation should be given to each group so that good women can enter in politics. They are bringing a law because of which if backward women want to enter politics, they cannot do so," he added.

The SP and the RJD, two regional parties that account for 26 seats, on Monday decided to withdraw support to the United Progressive Alliance government over the Women's Reservation Bill.

While the Congress-led coalition still has a majority with 272 seats, the withdrawal gives the government less breathing room over key pending economic legislations.