BSP chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Tuesday extended her support to the Women's Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) saying her party will support any bill that allows reservation for women in Parliament and other legislatures.
"Along with BSP, most of the parties will give their vote in the favour of Women's Reservation Bill... We expect that after the discussion this bill will get passed this time as it was pending for a long. I said earlier on behalf of my party in the Parliament that women get 50 per cent reservation instead of the proposed 33 per cent in Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, keeping in mind the population of women. I hope the Government think about it. Also, a separate quota for the women from OBC, SC and ST sections should be ensured in the reservation for women," said Mayawati.
Her remarks came hours after the government introduced a constitutional amendment bill to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women.
"We believe that after discussion the Women's Reservation Bill will be passed this time which had been pending since long," Mayawati said.
The Bahujan Samaj Party leader said her party wanted women from the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes to get a separate quota in the draft legislation.
She asserted even if our demands on the women's reservation bill are not implemented, our party will support the bill and will fully help get it passed in Parliament.
"There has been a lot of talk in the country about the safety, respect and necessary improvement in the condition of women of all sections of society, but instead of working on it with honesty and clear intentions, they are completely ignored," she said.
Mayawati alleged that a game is going on to make the reservation of SC, ST and OBC communities inactive and ineffective which has been provided as the humanitarian and welfare objectives of the Constitution.
(With PTI inputs)
