Sparks fly over delay in tabling Women's Bill

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 25. The controversy over the Women's Reservation Bill dominated the Lok Sabha on the last day of the monsoon session of Parliament today, plunging the House into turmoil as the Congress(I) insisted on an assurance from the Government that it would bring the Bill in the next session even if there was no consensus by then.

The opponents of the Bill - mostly members from the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal - protested sharply saying they would not allow it to be taken up in its present form. They attacked the Congress(I) for raking up the issue again and again, even as the Congress(I) alleged that the Government was hand-in- glove with the Bill's critics using lack of consensus as a pretext to delay the legislation.

For nearly 30 minutes after question hour, the House was in turmoil with the SP and the RJD members storming the ``well'' and raising slogans. The Congress(I) members collected in the aisle and raised counter-slogans - mahila bill ko jaldi lao (bring the Women's Bill quickly) and bill pesh karo, mili bhagat band karo (present the Bill, stop collaborating with its critics).

As tension mounted, several women members of the Congress(I), including Ms. Renuka Choudhury and Ms. Margaret Alva, also trooped into the well and raised full-throated slogans. The Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, watched as the two sides slugged it out but later in the day, speaking shortly before the House rose, she sought a ``commitment'' from the Government that the Bill would be brought in the next session. ``We have waited long enough,'' she said.

Earlier, the trouble started when the Congress(I)'s deputy leader, Mr. Madhavrao Scindia, raised the issue during zero hour. He said the Government should utilise the inter-session period to evolve a consensus on the Bill and bring it in the next session even if it failed in its efforts.

The SP leader, Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, was on his feet protesting and soon his other party colleagues joined him as did the RJD members, leading to total confusion. Meanwhile, Ms. Phoolan Devi sat on a ``dharna'' in the well though it was not clear why. As noisy scenes continued, the Speaker, Mr. G. M. C. Balayogi, adjourned the House for an hour.

PTI, UNI reports:

Mr. Scindia said the monsoon session was ending today without the Women's Reservation Bill being passed, despite the fact that the process of empowering women had begun when Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister. He said the Congress experiment of empowering women at the panchayat and district levels had proved very successful and should be replicated in Parliament.

Mr. Scindia said it was a dream of Rajiv Gandhi to ensure equal representation for women in the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies and accused the Government of not making serious efforts to secure its passage.

Interestingly, none of the women or other members in the Treasury benches reacted on the issue and watched the proceedings of the House in silence even as Mr. Balayogi attempted to restore order.

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