RJD threatens to withdraw support
The Rashtriya Janata Dal on Wednesday upped its opposition to the women's
reservation Bill threatening to withdraw support to the UPA government if
the legislation was not amended to provide sub-quotas for OBCs and Muslims
within the generic gender quota in legislatures.
In a development which undercut the PM's effort to dispel the perception of
a split in the UPA over the women's quota, the RJD accused the Congress
leadership of rushing through the Bill without hammering out a consensus.
Speaking at a function after RJD held out the threat, PM Manmohan Singh
sought to downplay the split with Lalu Prasad's outfit. He spoke of a
consensus within the government over the matter, stating that all "concerns"
would be addressed by Parliament's standing committee.
RJD's aggressive posture was yet another instance of how OBC resentment over
the "present form" of women's quota had strained ties between allies.
The issue also threatens to introduce serious tensions between Samajwadi
Party and its natural ally, the Left, with the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led
"social justice" formation looking set to spell out its opposition to CPM's
activism over the issue.
At its meeting on Thursday, SP's parliamentary group is expected to vent its
annoyance with CPM by threatening a re-think of its opposition to the
nuclear deal, by shaking off its indifference towards the "atrocities" in
Nandigram and by criticising
China's
in Tibet.
"We have taken the first step. If there was no consensus in Cabinet, how
could we have come with the introduction? There are concerns with respect to
representation of backward communities and we are hopeful of consensus in
the standing committee. We hope it will take note of their concerns," the PM
said.
Early on, RJD leadership fielded party MP Devendra Yadav to warn the
Congress leadership not to mistake its protest to be just pyrotechnics.
Yadav said his party would go to any extent to thwart the passage of the
already-delayed legislation.
"The bill could cost the government more dearly than the
India
nuclear deal," he told reporters.
The RJD wants the bill, providing to reserve by rotation one-third of seats
in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, to have a "quota within quota"
for SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities.
While the bill already provides for quota for SCs and STs, similar
provisions for minorities and OBCs would conflict with the Constitution
which does not recognise religion and caste, except in the case of the
erstwhile untouchable categories, as the basis for
reservation
legislatures.
The government also has to take into account the worrisome prospect of the
Muslim and OBC quotas within the generic gender quota becoming the basis for
demands for reservation for the two categories not just in "women only
seats".
Although the Constitution does provide for job and similar quotas to
backward classes, a similar arrangement for the minorities would go against
what the founding fathers adopted as the basis in unveiling a secular
republic.
RJD MP Yadav charged that the government had introduced the bill in the
Rajya Sabha on the sly.
"We are the second largest party in the government and they have ignored our
views. They have violated coalition dharma. We can never ignore social
justice. We can go to any extent," the senior party member said.
"It was brought through the back door, without consulting the major
partners, without taking consensus, and without bringing the House to order,
which is a pre-requisite for any bill requiring constitutional amendment,"
Yadav said.
Considering RJD's combative posture, the chances of the bill's passage - the
government wants it to be taken up in the monsoon session - appear remote.
RJD, with 24 members in the Lok Sabha, has been the Congress party's most
trusted ally.
The RJD leader alleged that the PM had gone back on his promise that an
all-party meeting would be held to evolve consensus on the issue.
"What happened is unprecedented. All constitutional amendments since 1951
have been introduced and passed with consensus. This would be the first
amendment to be subjected to a division of votes. If accepted in its present
form, the bill would exclude 85% of women," Yadav said.
Another UPA partner, Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which has
four members, asserted that enacting the bill was not possible "immediately"
because the delimitation commission had just completed its work. Paswan took
the debate to a new scale, arguing that 33% quota would mean creation of
additional 181 seats.
SP and JD(U) are the other arch opponents of the bill.
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