New Delhi:
Amid a stalemate over the Women's Reservation Bill, government on Tuesday indicated that it was prepared for discussion on the measure after UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi held consultations with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior party leaders.
Gandhi and Singh met in Parliament when both Houses were adjourned following uproar over the bill that provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.
"The government is for a discussion. Let us see how things can be done smoothly," Mukherjee told reporters after the hour-long meeting in which he along with Home Minister P Chidambaram was present.
Earlier, Mukherjee held separate consultations with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Narayanasamy and Prithviraj Chavan, and Congress President's Political Secretary Ahmed Patel.
The meetings were intended to find a way out of the stalemate over the bill considering strident opposition by SP and RJD, who have even threatened to withdraw support to government if the legislation was enacted in the present form.
BJP and Left parties have demanded that a discussion should precede voting on the bill.
Significantly, the Congress leadership has consulted major ally Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on the issue.