'Want Women's Bill to be passed after consensus'

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday expressed its keenness in getting the Women's Reservation Bill passed in Lok Sabha after a consensus is evolved on the issue and not by use of marshals as was done in the Rajya Sabha last year.

Senior BJP leader L K Advani told the party's Parliamentary Board meeting that the party wants the Women's Reservation Bill to be passed in the Lok Sabha but only after a consensus is evolved on the issue.

"He said it should not be done with the use of marshals like it was done in the Rajya Sabha last year," Deputy Leader of the BJP in Rajya Sabha SS Ahluwalia told mediapersons.

Adavani said the BJP was the first party to demand for reservation for women in state assemblies and the Lok Sabha. "He also said that it should be discussed and taken up for consideration if the Election Commission can make political parties duty bound to give 33 per cent reservation in seats during ticket distribution," Ahluwalia said.

The BJP Parliamentary Party meeting also discussed the stalemate between the Congress and its ally the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam on seat sharing for the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls.

"The alliance talk between the DMK and Congress is not merely on division of seats for the Assembly elections. This is something more serious and deals with the functioning of the Central Bureau of Investigation. Instead of putting pressure on those involved in corruption in the 2G Spectrum allocation, this is about putting pressure on the CBI," Ahluwalia said.

The main opposition also decided that it would demand discussion in Parliament on other scams and anomalies involving National Aluminium Company, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, S-band allocation, Public Distribution System and Prasar Bharti.

The recent 65-page report of military intelligence stating Rs 18,000 crore of Fake Indian Currency Notes was also discussed and the BJP leaders expressed concern over the issue.

On the issue of Indian black money stashed abroad, Ahluwalia said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had announced that an understanding had been reached between India and the Swiss banks on sharing details of such accounts.

"But this will come into effect prospectively from April 2011. So this announcement by the finance minister will serve as a warning to those who have Swiss bank accounts and they will either divert this money or withdraw it. This money will not be able to reach the country," Ahluwalia said.

Asked about the arrest of Hasan Ali in the tax evasion case, the BJP leader said, "This is all just an eyewash. He should not only be arrested but the government should also find out and recover his tax dues of Rs 36,000 crore."