The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has opposed the governments plan to increase the number of seats in parliament and state legislatures by 33 percent and to reserve them for women.
– We are not opposed to a quota for women in parliament and legislatures but this formula is impractical and too roundabout, BJP spokesperson Sushma Swaraj said after a party meeting here Tuesday.
Swaraj said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliances (NDA) proposal to make 33 percent of seats double-member constituencies and to reserve one of two seats for women was more viable.
This would increase the total number of members in the Lok Sabha by 181.
According to the BJP, the ruling Congress-led United Progressive Alliances (UPA) proposal to increase the number of seats would pose infrastructure problems in denoting new constituencies and providing seating space in parliament.
The government has launched a consensus building exercise to create opinion in favour of its formula, which seeks to add women to legislative bodies without disturbing the representation of men.
The bill seeking to provide a third of seats in parliament and legislatures to women was first introduced in June 1996 by the then United Front government of prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda.
However, it has been stalled since then due to vehement objections by political parties, especially by male MPs.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a key partner in the UPA, and the Samajwadi Party are the most vocal opponents of the proposed legislation. Both have suggested a “quota within a quota”, whereby a quota is reserved for women from backward communities.
The BJPs attempt to table the bill in May 2003 failed, with political parties coming up with protests and suggestions.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil has backed the new formula, saying that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had asked him to evolve a consensus in its favour.
The new proposal envisages increasing the combined total of seats in parliament and state legislatures to over 6.000 from the present 4.840, which includes 545 seats in the Lok Sabha and 245 in the Rajya Sabha.
Patil pointed out the number of seats in parliament had not increased commensurately with population growth since the time Indias population was 300 million.
A group of ministers led by Patil that approved the formula felt the strength of the parliament and legislatures should increase since the population has more than tripled over the years to over one billion.
Kilde: The Push Journal
