Women’s quota bill likely in Lok Sabha

The government hopes to introduce the contentious women’s reservation bill in the Lok Sabha during the monsoon session of parliament after holding “consultations” with the political parties opposed to the measure, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said Friday.

The Rajya Sabha has already passed the bill, seeking to reserve 33 percent of seats in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies for women.

“We hope to bring it in the Lok Sabha. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced on the floor of the Lok Sabha that we will bring it after consultation with the concerned parties,” Bansal told reporters here.

The bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha during parliament’s budget session earlier this year amidst protests by the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Janata Dal-United (JD-U).

These parties are demanding a quota within a quota for dalits, backwards and minorities.

The Trinamool Congress, led by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, the second largest party in the Congress-led ruling alliance, has also opposed the bill in its present form.

However, the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left parties want the bill to pass in its present form.