Congress not to support caste quota in women's reservation
New Delhi, June 9 (UNI) Despite the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal standing firm in its demand for a sub-quota, the Congress today decided against any communal quota within the proposed 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies.
A high-level meeting of senior women Congress leaders today discussed the issue and formulated their response to be filed before the Parliamentary Standing Committee, to which the Women's Quota Bill was referred after it was introduced in Rajya Sabha during the last session.
Union Ministers Ambika Soni, Meira Kumar, Renuka Chowdhury, Panabaka Lakshmi, Kumari Shelja and senior Party leaders Prabha Thakur, Mohsina Kidwai, Krishna Tirat and AICC Spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan attended the meeting held at the AICC headquarters.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi were also present.
After the meeting, Mr Mukherje briefed Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the outcome of the discussion.
Ms Natarajan told mediapersons that the Congress would remain firm in its stand in favour of a 33 per cent women's quota.
Ms Prabha Thakur, who is also the President of the ALL India Congress Committee, said the individual political parties could make the caste quota, instead of such a provision being incorporated in the bill.
She
said
the
decision
at
tday's
meeting
was
that
the
party
should
support
the
bill
in
its
present
form.
"If
any
need
for
caste
quota
is
felt
in
future,
amendments
could
always
be
incorporated
in
the
act
at
that
point
of
time."
UNI
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CS1925