All-party meet to debate Mulayam's 'no' to women's quota Bill
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has called an all-party meeting on July 10 to discuss suggestions on the Women's Reservation Bill, which was to be introduced today. The Bill seeks to reserve 33 per cent of seats in Parliament and state assemblies for women.
The government has deferred the introduction for a few days, following Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav's reservations on the Bill as it stood now. He said the quota should be reduced to 15 per cent.
Disclosing this to the media in New Delhi today, Parliamentary Affairs
Minister Madan Lal Khurana said the government will not accept ''any dilution'' to the proposed Bill. ''If the suggestions are to
strengthen the Bill, we will consider them." He also said that opinions from every quarter will be heard in order to arrive at a consensus on such an important Bill.
He said the All India Anna Dravida Kazagham members were not present at this morning's BJP meeting with its allies. Only Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazagham leader Vaiko and
Union Petroleum Minister Vazhapadi Ramamurthy (of the Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress), both AIADMK's allies, were present at the meeting.
He was confident that ''misunderstandings'' between the government
and Jayalalitha will be resolved soon.
Meanwhile, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today called
for immediate passage of the Bill. She also met the activists of the All India Mahila Congress who were demonstrating outside the Parliament House demanding passage of the long-awaited Bill.
The BJP was quick to react. Party general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu criticised the Congress for politicising the issue. He reiterated the BJP's resolve to table the Bill in the ongoing session itself. It is just a one-week deferment, he said. The PM, he said, will remove all hurdles to the passage of Bill during the all-party meet on July 10.
UNI
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