After Bihar CM threw his weight behind the bill, some other party members are willing to support it.
The women’s reservation bill has sharply divided the Janta Dal (United) into two camps, with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar throwing his weight behind the controversial bill much against his party president Sharad Yadav’s stated position.
After Kumar made it clear on Friday that he was in favour of the bill being passed, sources say several JD (U) MPs have indicated their willingness to support the legislation, much to the chagrin of their party chief.
The bill is slated to come up for consideration in Rajya Sabha on Monday. The JD (U) has seven members in the upper house and sources indicate that at least three party MPs were in favour of the bill’s passage. While JD (U)’s Rajya Sabha MP Shivanand Tiwari has already announced his support to the bill, sources say NK Singh too is also likely to support the bill. The ailing party leader, George Fernandes is unlikely to attend the proceedings on Monday.
Also both women MP’s of the JD (U) in the Lok Sabha, Ashwamedh Devi and Meena Singh have declared that they would support the bill when it comes for consideration in the Lok Sabha.
The announcement of Kumar’s support to the bill is certain to have far reaching consequences for the JD (U) and on the authority that Yadav enjoyed within the party.
Sources say Kumar had been following developments on the bill with interest over the last few weeks. “Once Congress, BJP and Left made their intentions clear on getting the bill passed, he decided to make his stand public, with an eye on the assembly polls due in the state later this year and the message his decision is likely to send across the womenfolk in Bihar. It is a tactful and considered move,” a senior JD (U) leader said.
In Patna, Kumar urged his party president to support the bill, stating that the demand of a “quota-within-quota” shouldn’t be allowed to delay the bill’s passage. “
“Now the time has come to give women reservation in parliament and state assemblies. I will talk to Sharadji and appeal to him to ensure passage of the bill,” Kumar said.
The JD (U) chief too was quick to respond, although the softening in his opposition to the bill was evident. “I challenge both Congress and BJP to not issue a whip to members (asking them to vote in favour of the bill) and then if the bill is passed even I would support it,” Yadav said. Earlier, Yadav had announced in parliament that he would consume poison if the bill were passed in its present form.
However, the JD (U) chief stressed that he wanted a “quota-within-quota” in the bill so that “majority of the women, who come from rural and backward areas benefit from it and not just the urban women.”
The support from JD (U) further strengthens the chances of the bill’s smooth passage in the upper house. The Congress, BJP and Left have all issued a whip to their respective MPs to vote in favour of the bill. UPA allies like the DMK, Trinamool Congress and NCP along Jayalalitha’s AIADMK are also known to be in favour of the bill.
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