Holding the UPA government squarely responsible for backtracking from supporting the SC/ST quota in promotion bill, the BSP supremo Mayawati demanded a special session of parliament to approve the legislation.
Holding the UPA government squarely responsible for backtracking from supporting the SC/ST quota in promotion bill, the BSP supremo Mayawati on Friday demanded a special session of parliament to approve the legislation.
In an interview to Zee News/DNA, former UP chief minister, however, said there was no point in withdrawing outside support to the Congress-led UPA government at this time, when general elections were just one-and-half year away. She said the Congress will face music from the electorate for this backpedalling.
“When women reservation bill was introduced, there was similar ruckus, the chair ordered marshals to remove agitating MPs and it has happed in various cases in the parliament earlier as well. I am amazed, why this option was not used in Lok Sabha to allow smooth passage of the SC/ST Bill,” she said.
She said her party forced the UPA government to get the Bill passed in the Rajya Sabha, pointing out that the incidents of December 19 and 20 in the Lok Sabha showed that the government was not in the favour of the Bill. On the pandemonium and the scuffle the Sonia Gandhi had with the SP MP in the Well of the House, Mawayati charged the scenes were “orchestrated” and called it a “big drama”
Reacting immediately, Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhry described Mayawai’s remarks “regrettable”. She said though the party does not want to join issue with the BSP supremo, but it was not proper to question “our intent”.
“We can put our hands on our heart to say, we were sincere in our approach to pass the legislation,” she said, reminding that every person from the SC and ST knows, the role of Congress for their uplift and empowerment.
She said both the national parties the Congress and the BJP are speaking with forked tongues.
On BJP leader LK Advani’s latest stand to better refer the Bill to the president for seeking the view of the Supreme Court, so that law is not struck down by the courts, the BSP supremo said playing a double game. The Dalit leader said her party still believes that a majboor (dependent ) rather a mazboot (strong) centre serves best interests of poor and backward.
Mayawati further said both the main parties had conspired to prevent her march in 2009 general elections to become prime minister.
“When they realized that a Dalit girl may become a prime minister, the BJP helped the UPA to cobble up majority and form a government,” she said.
Denying she had struck a quid pro quo deal with the UPA floor managers while siding with the government during voting on FDI, the BSP supremo said though she had reservations on FDI, the government decision not to enforce it on states made her to support it.
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