Prime Minister holds meet with Lalu, Mulayam on Women's Reservation Bill - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

In the latest development regarding the Women Reservation Bill, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday afternoon held meeting with Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. Dr. Singh reportedly asked the two leaders to let the Bill pass with the suggestion to bring Amendment Bill. Lalu and Mulayam, however, reportedly stated that the Women's Bill was being forced upon them by the Congress party, and that it does not protect the interest of Dalit and Muslim women. The meeting ended inconclusively. Presently, there are 181 members of Parliament in favour of the Bill, 28 opposed to it and there are 24 others. The protesting MPs want reservation for Dalit, OBC and minority communities within the Women's Reservation Bill's proposed quota of 33 per cent. A similar protest was witnessed in the past 14 years with opponents of the Bill by noisily opposing the Women's Reservation Bill that seeks to reserve a third of seats for women in parliament and State Assemblies.