Women's quota will impede minorities' progress: SP

Continuing with his opposition to the Women's Reservation Bill, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh alleged that quota for the fairer sex would impede the progress of backwards and minorities on Friday.

At a meeting to welcome Bharatiya Janata Party's Jaunpur district unit chief Samarnath Singh Chauhan in the SP, Yadav alleged backwards would become more backward and minorities would remain "second grade citizens" in case women's reservation comes into force.

The SP president asked both the Congress and the BJP, which are supporting the bill, to first grant 50 percent quota for women in education and employment if they were really interested in their welfare and progress.

"The successive Congress governments have done nothing for these sections," he said.

Yadav reiterated that it should be mandatory on all political parties to field at least 20 percent women in polls.

Alleging that the Congress has been ignoring the interests of minorities, Yadav said it was shying away from implementing the suggestions of Sachchar and Rangnath Misra committees.

On the Naxal attack, Yadav claimed that he had warned of an internal threat during a meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee two days before the Dantewada attack.

Terming the situation very serious, he said that besides other steps it was also essential that youths be provided better education and employment opportunities.