Congress on Wednesday downplayed the decision of UPA partner Trinamool Congress to abstain from voting on the Women's Reservation Bill in Rajya Sabha and expressed hope that it will reconsider the position and come out strongly for the Bill when it is taken up in Lok Sabha.
"There is a larger picture out here for women empowerment. We hope the Trinamool Congress would reconsider it position and come out strongly and proactively on this when it is taken up in the Lok Sabha," party spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters in New Delhi. Asked whether the party felt let down by Mamata Banerjee, Tewari said the Railway Minister was part of the Cabinet where the Bill was cleared.
He said the party would not like to second guess what changed her decision. "She is the tallest women leader in West Bengal and a respected woman leader across the country," he said. To a query about Banerjee's demand for a quota within the 33 per cent for Muslim women, Tewari said the demand for a sub-quota within quota was not new. "It would be appropriate if it is passed in its present form, which was cleared by the Standing Committee and then the Rajya Sabha," the spokesman said. PTI
