Women's quota bill after poll, says Speaker

Supporting reservation for women, Lok Sabha Speaker  Meira Kumar said after the assembly polls a meeting of parties should be called to evolve a consensus.

In the past one year since the Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha, Parliament has not been able to pass it. The Bill was pushed in the Rajya Sabha after some parties’ aggressive opposition to it forced the Speaker to call in marshals.

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad  of Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) and JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav have supported “quota within quota” in the Bill. This apart, they want that parties should be allowed to reserve seats for women candidates.

On Tuesday, marking International Women’s Day, MPs again  favoured reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and assemblies without making any concrete progress on the issue. The government, therefore, urged the Speaker to take fresh initiatives to evolve consensus among the parties.

In an impromptu debate, members expressed their views with the SP, RJD and JD(U) warning against pushing the Bill that provides for 33 per cent quota in its original form in the Lok Sabha, as was done in the Rajya Sabha.