Sharp differences within the Bharatiya Janata Party surfaced on Thursday on the Women's Reservation Bill with firebrand leader Uma Bharati seeking quotas within the legislation and a thorough discussion in the party on the issue before formulating its stand.
In a letter she handed over to party president L K Advani, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister 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.
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Party leader Sushma Swaraj had last week joined Home Minister Shivraj Patil in supporting the proposed bill which provides for increasing the seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures by 33 per cent.
Bharati termed it as 'her (Sushma's) personal view', claiming that the issue had not been discussed in the party so far.
Emerging from the meeting, Bharati told PTI that she had been demanding a discussion on the subject for the last 8 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 party. I have been demanding a discussion on the subject for the last 8 years. But strangely, no discussion has taken place so far which is totally undemocratic," she said.
Bharati said she was 'firm' on her decision and if need be, some MPs would introduce amendments on her instruction in Parliament when the bill was introduced.
"I am preparing some MPs to introduce private amendments if need be," she said.
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