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Parliament adjourned; women's
bill not passed

The Women's Reservation Bill, seeking 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, failed to be passed as the Lok Sabha was adjourned Friday, the last day of the winter session.

Earlier, the bill rocked the Lower House for the second consecutive day, with some Opposition parties forcing an adjournment for four hours.

Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party members, demanding its withdrawal, trooped into the well of the House, forcing the adjournment without transaction of any business.

They were pressing for sub quotas for backward classes, scheduled castes/tribes and minorities.

Almost in an action replay, the agitated members shouted slogans as soon as the House met for the day.

Sensing their intransigent mood, Speaker G M C Balayogi had adjourned the House till 1500 hours IST.

On Thursday too, proceedings in both Houses were disrupted on the issue, as an all-party meeting convened by the Speaker had failed to reach a consensus on their demand for sub quotas. While the Lok Sabha remained adjourned for the whole day, the Upper House resumed normal functioning only after lunch.

At the all-party meeting, Parliamentary Minister Pramod Mahajan had suggested that recommendations of the Election Commission to make it mandatory for all parties to earmark 33 per cent seats for women be accepted. The EC had recommended that any party that fails to abide these guidelines would not be recognised as a national party.

The Women's Reservation Bill, officially known as the Constitution (85th Amendment) Bill 1999, has been hanging in balance since it was introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 12,1996 as the Constitution (81st Amendment) Bill 1996. The bill was later referred to the joint committee, which presented its report to the Lok Sabha on December 9,1996.

The motion for consideration of the bill came up on May 16, 1997, but lapsed due to dissolution of the 11th Lok Sabha.

The Bill was again brought in the 12th Lok Sabha on July 14, 1998 as the Constitution (84th Amendment) Bill, 1998. The leave, however, was granted on December 14, 1998. The Bill could not reach the consideration stage and lapsed on the dissolution of the 12th Lok Sabha.

The Bill was finally introduced in the current Lok Sabha on December 23, 1999 as the Constitution (85th Amendment) Bill, 1999.

In Indore, Communist Party of India-Marxist politburo member Sitaram Yeshuri alleged that the National Democratic Alliance government was not able to take up the bill as it was not serious on the issue.

''When the government, despite differences over the patent or insurance bills was successful in tabling them, why has it failed to present the women's reservation bill in the Lower House?,'' Yechuri asked.

''Certainly, inner contradictions within the BJP, specially of Union Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Uma Bharti and others are responsible for it,'' Yechuri told reporters.

The winter session of the Rajya Sabha, which saw defeat of the government over an opposition-sponsored censure motion on Ayodhya, was also adjourned sine die.

The house, which lost eight days over the Ayodhya logjam, passed 13 pieces of legislation and returned three money bills during the five-week session.

Leader of the House Jaswant Singh and senior Congress member Pranab Mukherjee said such loss of business hours should be avoided in future.

Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptulla said though the House lost valuable time, it had carried out a good number of legislative measures.

Agencies

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