Women's Bill: Dirty dozen hold a House to ransom

New Delhi, March, 9 : Hooliganism triumphed over numbers again on the women’s reservation bill. A handful of antagonists of the legislation on Monday held
the Rajya Sabha to ransom, tearing copies of the legislation and hurling them at Chairman Hamid Ansari.

The women’s quota supporters, who are in a majority, watched as their gameplan to pass the bill in the Upper House on International Women’s Day, was torn to shreds.

Signs of what was to come became evident in the morning when both Houses were adjourned as SP, RJD and LJP protested against the bill, which seeks to ensure 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

It was after two adjournments of the House that law minister Veerappa Moily tabled for consideration and passage in Rajya Sabha amid the din. Slogan-shouting members of SP, RJD and LJP moved into the well of the House, snatched copies of the bill and tore it. Bits of the document were seen flying across the House.

Nand Kishore Yadav of SP was seen trying to climb up the Chairman’s desk but was prevented by a marshal, not before he snatched a file on the Chairman’s table and threw it back into the House. He also succeeded in disabling the public address system on the Chairman’s podium. Subhash Yadav of RJD seemed to be making an attempt to assault the Rajya Sabha secretary-general who was seated below the chairman’s podium. While Kamal Akhtar of SP climbed on to the reporter’s table.

Within seconds, the Chairman adjourned the House for an hour. During this time, the House staff cleared every such item off the Chairman’s podium, secretary general’s and reporter’s table that could be hurled by the protesters. An effort that greeted sneers from the dissenting MPs.

To avert a re-run of the scenes during the tabling of the bill, the number of marshals present in the House went up dramatically following the unruly exchange. All these measures were in vain. The House met again thrice only to adjourn amid uproar. As against over 180 supporters of the bill in a House with an effective strength of 233, there are just 18 opponents.

Earlier in the day during question hour, the protesting members demanded a debate on the reports of the National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities headed by Ranganath Misra that favours job quotas for Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians.