Uma Bharti defies party line on Women's Bill

M L Khurana is not the only Bharatiya Janata Party leader who has dared the leadership; Uma Bharti who last week was discharged from the tricolour controversy by a Karnataka court, is another one to go public with her grievance.

She has expressed sharp differences with the BJP's official stand on the Women's Reservation Bill.

The firebrand OBC leader, who is clearly keen on projecting her status as a backward caste leader, is seeking quotas within the legislation and a thorough discussion in the party on the issue before formulating its stand.

BJP suspends Uma Bharti

The BJP on the other hand had told Home Minister Shivraj Patil that any formula except a quota within the quota was acceptable.

In a letter she handed over to party president L K Advani, Bharati demanded 'adequate' reservation within the proposed quota for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs and wondered how the party could take a stand without discussing it in the party forum.

Party leader Sushma Swaraj had last week joined Shivraj Patil in supporting the proposed Bill which provides for increasing the seats in Lok Sabha and state legislatures by 33 per cent. Bharati termed it as 'Sushma's personal view', claiming that the issue has not been discussed in the party so far.

Bharati said she had been demanding a discussion on the subject for the last eight years as the Bill would not serve any purpose without providing reservation to SCs, STs, OBCs and dalits.

"You cannot give a party view unless you discuss it in the party. I have been demanding a discussion on the subject for last eight years. But strangely no discussion has taken place so far, which is totally undemocratic," she said.

Bharati said she was "firm" in her decision and if need be some MPs would introduce amendments on her instruction in Parliament when the Bill is introduced. "I am preparing some MPs to introduce private amendments if need be," she said.