The Hindu : Front Page : Vayalar Ravi confident of getting Women’s Reservation Bill passed

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Wednesday, May 07, 2008
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Vayalar Ravi confident of getting Women’s Reservation Bill passed

Special Correspondent

Hopes it will be back from the standing committee before the start of the monsoon session

— Photo: V. Sudershan

EMPOWERING MOMENT: UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is greeted by supporters at the Parliament House complex in New Delhi on Tuesday after the Women’s Reservation Bill was tabled.

NEW DELHI: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi on Tuesday expressed confidence that the Bill to give women political reservation would be passed during the tenure of the United Progressive Alliance government on the basis of consensus.

Addressing a press conference at the end of the three-month-long monsoon session, he hoped the Bill would be back from the standing committee before the start of the monsoon session in July.

He said every effort was being made to arrive at a consensus, first within the United Progressive Alliance. In the standing committee the Bill would be discussed in detail and members of different political parties could give their suggestions.

All sections of the UPA had been assured by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and chairperson of the UPA Sonia Gandhi that their views would be taken into account during deliberations in the standing committee. There was consensus within the UPA on the introduction of the Bill.

He dismissed all technical objections to the manner in which it was introduced — without advance circulation and by including it at the last minute in the supplementary agenda of the day. This, he said, was done under Rule 123 and was perfectly legal. There was no substance in the criticism that the government had circumvented rules.

The Minister stressed the importance of the Bill being introduced in the Rajya Sabha as it would not lapse even at the end of the current government’s tenure. This was in contrast to the introduction by different governments thrice in the Lok Sabha, where the Bill lapsed each time a new Lok Sabha was constituted.

‘Most unfortunate’

Referring to the unruly scenes witnessed in the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Ravi said while MPs had the right to object, this did not include “physical objection or obstruction”, which he described as “most unfortunate.”

He said the budget session had a total of 28 sittings of the Lok Sabha and 30 of the Rajya Sabha. About 15 to 20 per cent of the time was lost in each House but members had also sat for “extra time.”

Mr. Ravi defended the advancing of the end of the session by a few days, saying all financial business had been transacted, 19 Bills were passed by both Houses, 18 were introduced in the Lok Sabha and four in the Rajya Sabha.

Many important issues were raised during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President, during discussion of the Finance Bill, and demands for grants related to specific ministries, as well as a discussion on price rise, attacks on North Indians in Maharashtra and foreign-policy related matters.

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