Vajpayee, Mulayam are at loggerheads over women's bill - The Times of India

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Senior BJP leader Atal Behari Vajpayee and defence minister Mulayam Singh
Yaday are at loggerheads on the issue of women being given 33 per cent
reservation in Parliament and state legislatures.

While the dilly-dallying of the United Front government on pushing through
the women's bill during the current session of Parliament for want of
consensus has evoked sharped criticism from political leaders and women
organisations, Mr Vajpayee and Mr Yadav here on Sunday made it clear that
politicians themselves are yet to crystallise their opinion on the subject.

Talking to newspersons separately, both leaders revealed their respective
party's stand on women being given due representation in legislative
functioning of the country, While Mr Vajpayee appeared more realistic than
Mr Yadav in saying that there would be practical difficulties in getting
women elected on the basis of reservation, the latter wanted that the right
to give representation to women should be vested with political parties
recognised by the election commission.

Mr Yadav was also not in favour of giving 33 per cent reservation to women.
it should be decided rationally after a thorough debate on the subject. In
support of his contention he cited Nepal where, according to him, five per
cent reservation had been given to women in the legislature.

Mr Vajpayee disapproved Mr Yadav's suggestion that women belonging to the
minority community should have a separate reservation percentage for them.
Mr Vajpayee said the constitution had made it clear that there would be no
reservation on the basis of religion.

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