Bill will only favour top crust of society: RJD

“In its present form, the Bill does not serve the interest of disadvantaged”
Introducing the Bill without a political consensus is against “coalition dharma”
Paswan wants Lok Sabha seats increased by one-third
NEW DELHI: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Wednesday contended that the Women’s Reservation Bill, in its present form, would only facilitate the entry of women from the top crust of society into the legislatures. “We stand for social justice and this Bill does not serve the interest of the disadvantaged sections [the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, the Other Backward Classes and the minorities].”
Briefing journalists here, a day after the Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha amid protests, RJD spokesman Devendra Prasad Yadav said the manner in which the government introduced the Bill without a political consensus went against “coalition dharma.” A bad precedent was set in Parliament as the Bill had been introduced without its being circulated first among members.
Paswan’s stand
Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP) president and Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ram Vilas Paswan said his party was in full support of the Bill. He, however, suggested an increase in the number of seats in the Lok Sabha by one-third to accommodate more women, and fixing a quota for SCs, OBCs and minorities.
Thanking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi for tabling the Bill, Mr. Paswan said the number of parliamentary constituencies should be raised from 543 to 724, thereby adding 181 seats (one-third of the present strength) to accommodate women MPs.
“Not only has the population of the country increased almost three times since Independence, the number of voters has also increased tremendously. Increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats would be a good option to accommodate more women MPs,” he said.
Hoping that the Bill would be passed in the monsoon session, Mr. Paswan said he favoured reservation for women from the SCs, the OBCs and the minorities within the quota to ensure their representation in Parliament. “This way we can ensure that those belonging to backward and weaker sections get a chance to join the national political mainstream,” he asserted.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
New Delhi Bureau
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