No protests on women reservation issue, follow party discipline: Mayawati to BSP

Lucknow: BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday asked party workers not to hold any protests or demonstrations on the women's reservation issue, saying the party's stand that there should be a separate quota within the 33 per cent quota for women from SC, ST and OBCs remains unchanged.

In a post on X, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said the party continues to support women's reservation as per its April 15 position and directed workers to inform cadres accordingly so that there is no confusion on the issue.

"However, no demonstration or protest should be held on this matter as per party discipline," she said.

On April 15, Mayawati had said while her party supports 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies, there should be a separate quota within it for women from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. She had expressed doubts that without such sub-quota, women from these sections would not get adequate representation.

Mayawati had also reiterated the party's demand for 50 per cent reservation for women in proportion to their population, alleging that other political parties were unwilling to accept it due to their "self-interest and compulsions".

In her post on Wednesday, Mayawati also said that she was travelling to Delhi for party-related work.

She directed workers to strengthen the party organisation, expand its support base and highlight the development and public welfare works carried out during the BSP government in Uttar Pradesh while preparing for the upcoming assembly elections.

Mayawati said workers should also inform people that several major infrastructure projects, including expressways and the airport in Noida, were conceptualised during the BSP rule and could have been completed earlier but for alleged hurdles created by the then Congress-led central government.

She asserted that balanced development, progress of all sections of society and better law and order in the state are possible only under the BSP's governance guided by the principle of "rule of law".