Punches, skirmishes and a strong pair of lungs. Flank your man with two strong women. Pushing and shoving is the name of the game. The Women’s Quota Bill, which provides 33 per cent reservation to women, is finally tabled, after a delay of 12 years, in India’s Rajya Sabha. The Times of India has the report.
The planning would have done a military strategist proud. The defence was deployed with skill and guile. The back-up was forceful and arrived in time. And even though the “enemy” managed to land a few punches, the skirmish was brief and ended with the contentious women’s reservation bill being introduced in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
Congress parliamentary managers had done their homework well. They placed law minister H R Bhardwaj on the second row away from the aisle connecting the rest of the House. He was flanked by two women ministers, Kumari Selja and Ambika Soni.
The anti-bill lobby led by Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh did its best to disrupt proceedings. SP members moved into the well, ostensibly raising demands for action against Raj Thackeray for his anti-north Indian fulminations. But they had their eyes fixed on Bhardwaj.
Watch the video of the proceedings here
The Hindu has the chequered history of this controversial bill here
