Historic Women's Reservation Bill passed in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi, Mar 9 : History was enacted after day-long high drama in the upper house of Indian Parliament when an overwhelming majority passed the Women's Reservation Bill on Tuesday, clearing the first hurdle on the way of the landmark legislation to ensure 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies.

While 186 members voted for the passage of the bill, one member voted against it, ending a deadlock that goes back to nearly one and half decades.

"Ayes 189, Nos Nil," said Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari and history was made ending a journey that began in 1996.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Trinamool Congress abstained from voting.

The passage of the bill came as a victory for Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi who stuck to her guns to see the bill passed on Tuesday at any cost.

The bill now has to be passed in the Lok Sabha to make it a legislation besides state assemblies.

"Women's bill is historic step forward," said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier.

The Women's Bill was put to vote at the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday evening after over three hours debate and pandemonium.

The debate at the initiative of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) began around 3-30 pm on the Bill in Rajya Sabha after shameful and acrimonious scenes amid which it was put to vote.

The ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) brought the bill despite opposition.
The voting and debate began after the marshals evicted six members from Rajya Sabha. Seven of the MPs from parties like RJD and SP were earlier suspended by the Speaker.

The voting was almost without debate at the outset but BJP insisted on one and a debate started.

Initiating the debate, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley (BJP) said it is unfortunate that even after 63 years of independence the country has only ten percent representation of women in Parliament.

Speaking on the Bill, Congress leader Jayanta Natarajan said women had waited for 62 years for justice.

She said the Bill is a logical continuation of the dream of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi started the process in local level.

"We are totally committed to gender parity," she said.

Supporting the Bill, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP in Rajya Sabha Brinda Karat said the Bill would bring about cultural changes and help minority and backward class women come to the forefront of politics.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) opposed the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha and demanded a raise in the quota and more for the OBC and minority.

"We oppose the Bill in its current form. Women's quota should be 50pc not 33pc and that will include OBC (Other Backward Class) and minority," said a BSP MP during the debate on the Bill.

Meanwhile All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Janata Dal (United) supported the Bill.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said her party is upset that the UPA government didn't take its ally into confidence before putting the Women's Reservation Bill on vote at the Rajya Sabha.

"Trinamool Congress is upset. We are grateful to the Prime Minister who said we will be a part of the All-Party meeting. But we were not informed about the time," Banerjee said.

"We are not against the government. But we are hurt that neither Mulayam Singh (Samajwadi Party chief), nor Lalu Prasad Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal chief), nor TMC were consulted over the Bill."

"Instead we see Prakash and Brinda Karat of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) almost leading this initiative. The UPA has to trust its allies first," the Railways Minister said.

Banerjee further said: "We don't want to bulldoze the democratic process. We want peaceful talks."

Trinamool Congress, the largest ally of the Congress in the UPA government, said it was opposed to passing the Women's Bill in Parliament by force and wants inclusion of minority quota in the new law.

The Women's Reservation Bill was on Monday tabled in the Upper House of the Parliament, though the Congress-led UPA government could not ensure voting on it and gift the historic Bill to the nation on International Women's Day.

Violent protests by detractors of the Bill, who, though only a handful, forced five adjournments of the Rajya Sabha, after trying to rough up the chairman, Vice-President Hamid Ansari.

Voting was finally deferred till Tuesday as the government scrambled to get the House in place as rowdy MPs of SP, RJD and Independents held the Bill 'hostage'.

On Monday, chaos erupted in the Rayja Sabha as soon as Law Minister Verrappa Moily placed the Bill in the floor of the House.

MPs of Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), aided by two others, attacked the chairman of the Rajya Sabha Hamid Ansari minutes after the Bill was introduced.

The detractors tore the Bill and threw pen stands, papers and microphone around.

The SP and RJD have already announced of withdrawing their support to the UPA government.

Other players, including Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and National Conference, also favoured the bill.

--IBNS