The Samajwadi Party, which is opposed to the Women's Reservation Bill in the present form, has officially registered its protest before a Parliamentary panel.
The Samajwadi Party, which is opposed to the Women's Reservation Bill in the present form, has officially registered its protest before a Parliamentary panel, but said it was not against providing reservation for women.
In its dissent note to the Parliamentary committee which examined the bill, SP said it was against the "manner in which the draft bill pertaining to women's reservation has been prepared."
The Bill seeks to reserve "as nearly as may be" one third seats of the present strength of Lok Sabha and state Assemblies to women.
SP members Virendra Bhatia (Rajya Sabha) and Shailendra Kumar (Lok Sabha) who are part of the committee said in the note that every party "shall distribute at least 20 per cent of their party tickets to women in their party" as per the 'Gill formula' (as suggested by former chief election commissioner MS Gill).
The committee has rejected the 'Gill Formula' of the Election Commission which had suggested that providing reservation for women be made mandatory for political parties.
"Majority of the memoranda received by the committee rejected the Gill formula on the ground that it might lead to political parties giving seats to women, which they perceive are not winning seats, thereby negating actual representation of women in elected bodies," the report read.
Samajwadi Party is the only political party, which submitted a dissent note to the committee.
The SP also suggested 'reservation within reservation' for OBC women and said even in its current form the quota should not be more than 20 per cent.
The Constitution (108 Amendment) Bill, 2008 -- known as the Women's Reservation Bill -- was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on May 6, 2008 and referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice two days later for examination.
The committee submitted its report to Parliament today and its chairperson Jayanthi Natarajan expressed the hope that the bill will be passed in the budget session in its present form.
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