Women's bill: Amid revolt, BJP plans to issue whip

New Delhi, Mar 11: Cracking the whip against the rebellious MPs, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has issued a whip in support of the Women's Reservation Bill.

This comes amid the reports of the dissidence arising in the party over the Women's Reservation Bill, which provides 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The anti-Quota bill MPs had not only warned the senior leaders against issuing a whip but had also threatened to defy it if issued.

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and former party chief Rajnath Singh met the rebelling MPs on Thursday, Mar 11 morning.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Swaraj said, “We will issue a whip to party MPs when the bill comes up in Lok Sabha."

Murli Manohar Joshi, who admitted that differences of opinions are not totally unnatural in a party, however, said that once BJP takes a stand everybody will have to go by it.

“In a democratic party, members may have different opinions on an issue and these can be discussed. But on the Bill the party has taken a stand and everybody will have to adhere to it," Joshi said.

OneIndia News