Mulayam fears an all-women parliament

Lucknow, March 14: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Sunday said the women's reservation bill was an "international conspiracy" to weaken Indian democracy and said it would ultimately lead to an all-women parliament that would be "alarming" for the country.

"The women's reservation bill will eventually weaken Indian democracy and it is really unfortunate that the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government at the centre was playing into the hands of those whose only intent was to break the backbone of Indian democracy," Mulayam Singh said at a press conference here.

He was of the view that 33 percent reservation for women in legislatures would finally make it a nearly all-women parliament.

"The manner in which 33 percent seats would be reserved for women in every election, would lead to sending about 80-85 percent women to the parliament," he said.

Terming that as an "alarming situation", he asked, "just imagine what would be the fate of this nation in the hands of inexperienced leadership, with both Pakistan and China sitting across our borders with their own nefarious designs?"

He claimed that the reservation bill would further deprive members of the minority communities, tribals and Dalits from entering parliament or state legislatures.

"As it is, as many as a dozen states had not elected a single Muslim at the last election; therefore it was extremely important that the bill provides for reservation of some seats for women belonging to the minority community, OBCs and Dalits," he stressed.

"I am not opposed to reservation for women, but I am opposed to the bill in its present form," Mulayam Singh added.

He said that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief Sharad Yadav were also with him on the issue and that they would continue to fight together against the bill.