Women's quota bill gets through Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday evening passed the women's reservation bill reserving one-third seats for women in parliament and state legislatures. It took the house two days, nine disruptions and the eviction of seven MPs to achieve this.

There were 186 votes in favour of the bill and one against. In the 245-member House with an effective strength of 233, the bill required the backing of at least 155 members and the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) managed enough support for the legislation.

The Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Left Front, the AIADMK and the Telugu Desam Party voted for the bill. The two MPs of the Trinamool Congress, the government’s second biggest ally, abstained from voting. Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) MPs abstained too, claiming that the bill didn’t address their demands.

The Janata Dal (United), whose chief Sharad Yadav is an opponent of the bill, was split over the bill when it came to voting. Most of its seven members voted for the bill in response to the call given senior party leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who intervened in the discussion, described the occasion as a "momentous" and the legislation a "historic and great" step in the empowerment of women.

"It is not an anti-minority or anti-SC or ST bill. But it only carries forward the emancipation of women," he said in his brief speech, rejecting the allegation of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) that the bill didn’t help Muslims, Other Backward Classes and Dalits.

The government on Tuesday morning tried to win over SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD leader Lalu Prasad but they refused to support the bill.

The bill will now go to Lok Sabha where the UPA has the numbers to get it passed with support from BJP, Left and other small parties backing it, notwithstanding opposition from SP, RJD and the JD (U).

Peeved at the government taking the support of Left parties in getting the bill passed, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee alleged the government had “bulldozed” the legislation through the house.

"The Prime Minister promised us yesterday (Monday) that an all-party conference would be convened today. But they never told us. It appears Brinda Karat and CPI-M have been taken into confidence. I am upset. Lalu and we are government allies. We don't want to bulldoze democratic process," said Banerjee.

The Trinamool Congress is reportedly calculating the impact the bill would have on minorities in Assembly elections in West Bengal next year.

Earlier, seven opposition members, who were suspended for their unruly behaviour, were physically evicted from the Rajya Sabha after they continued to squat on the floor for more than three hours.

The 108th Constitution Amendment Bill seeks to reserve for women 181 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha and 1,370 out of a total of 4,109 seats in the 28 State Assemblies.