New Delhi:
Ignoring potential threats to its stability, a stubborn government pushed the Women's Reservation Bill through the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. At the helm of the new crusade, Sonia Gandhi, who was insistent that the Bill be put to vote on Tuesday.
The Bill, which was brought in the Rajya Sabha by Law Minister Veerappa Moily on Monday afternoon, seeks to reserve for women 181 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha and 1,370 out of a total of 4,109 seats in the 28 state Assemblies.
Clearing the first hurdle of getting the Bill passed in the Rajya Sabha wasn't easy. Allies like Mamata Banerjee were openly angry. And Lalu and Mulayam Yadav have confirmed they will formally write to President Pratibha Patil to withdraw support to the government. (
Read: Lalu, Mulayam to meet President, withdraw support)
But with the Left and the BJP supporting the Bill, the vote, when it eventually took place, was decisive: 186 in favour and just one against. It was also seeped in drama. In order for the debate to begin, the seven MPs who refused to let the Rajya Sabha function on Monday were evicted by marshals. They belong mainly to Lalu and Mulayam's parties. After nine adjournments in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha on Monday, there were three adjournments in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Once the disruptor MPs were removed, the Rajya Sabha got down to business. (
Read: 7 suspended MPs not sorry, critical of eviction)
The debate that preceded the vote saw a rare show of unity between the Opposition and the government. In his speech, the Prime Minister congratulated the BJP and the Left for their support to the bill, and said, "This is a historic and giant step towards empowering women and a celebration of their rights."
Mamata Banerjee was angry that the Prime Minister did not hold an all-party meeting on the Bill, and said she had not been taken into confidence by the Congress about its plans. Her Trinamool Congress abstained from the vote. However, Banerjee said she does not plan to quit the government over the Women's Bill. (
Watch: Upset over not being taken into confidence: Mamata)
Mulayam and Lalu Yadav have been the most prominent opponents of the Women's Bill arguing that it does not protect the interests of Dalits and Women.
On Tuesday morning, they met the Prime Minister who hoped to bring them on board. Barely an hour later, they made it clear they hadn't changed their minds. (
Read: Women's Bill - Yadavs meet PM, say not OK). Between them, Lalu and Mulayam have 26 MPs in the Lok Sabha. Without their support, the government is reduced to a single-digit majority in the Lok Sabha. In the Rajya Sabha, where the government is in a minority, its position is weakened further. What worries the Congress is that Lalu and Mulayam could now join the BJP and the Left in voting against the government on key issues.
But Sonia Gandhi said she's not worried. Speaking to reporters in the Lok Sabha, she said the government is stable. However, she added that she would liked to have seen old friends stay with the government on the Bill. It's what she expressed, she said, when she met Lalu and Mulayam in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday afternoon. Referring to Lalu, she said: "He has seven daughters. I was telling him that within his family there are seven for the Bill." (
Read: Sonia Gandhi says UPA stable, allies on board)
The banter does not disguise the very real effort spent by Sonia Gandhi in coordinating her party's efforts to get the Bill passed. After the Bill was deferred on Monday, an upset Gandhi told the Congress Core Committee that she wanted a vote soon. On Tuesday, she repeated this as she met senior leaders with the Prime Minister.
Also See:The 14-year-journey of Women's Reservation BillBuzz on Twitter: Women's Reservation Bill