The Hindu : NDA Govt. accused of cheating women over reservation Bill

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 14, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

NDA Govt. accused of cheating women over reservation Bill

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, MARCH 13. Jayanti Natarajan, All-India Congress Committee (AICC) spokesperson, has said that the BJP-led NDA Government has cheated women by failing to ensure the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill.

She told presspersons here today that while the Centre had hastily convened a joint session of Parliament to pass the POTA review Bill, it had not shown similar interest in passing the Bill providing 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and State legislatures.

She charged that during the term of the BJP-led NDA Government the country's economy had been ruined and the agricultural sector had suffered enormously. Ms. Natarajan strongly criticised the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani's `Bharat Uday Yatra' and said it had created "untold suffering" to the people in the areas covered by the yatra. She alleged that the shops along the route were forced to down their shutters by policemen accompanying Mr. Advani. She said that while people in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka were reeling under a severe drought, the Deputy Prime Minister had not bothered to visit any of the affected places.

Ms. Natarajan criticised the leadership of the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and charged that during the past five years, the country had witnessed horrifying incidents, including the attack on Parliament by extremists, because of the "communal policies" pursued by the Government.

She gave a clean chit to the Karnataka Government and said the Congress Government led by the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, had worked towards alleviating poverty and for the development of the State.

Ms. Natarajan said there was "tremendous support" for the Congress in Karnataka.

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