BJP can't play spoiler on quota bill

NEW DELHI: BJP leaders were on Thursday engaged in containing dissension within its Lok Sabha group over the women’s reservation bill.

While it got those who went public with their opposition to retract their statements, Mr L K Advani held a session with MPs to drive home the point that BJP could not afford to play spoiler. Mr Advani told his MPs that the party should stand firm on the issue as it was one of the earliest advocates of the move to reserve 33% seats for women in Parliament and state legislatures.

The opposition within UPA for using marshals to remove suspended MPs from the Rajya Sabha came in handy for BJP. It seized upon the demand from Ms Mamata Banerjee and Mr Sharad Pawar against employing marshals inside the House. “We are against such an approach,” BJP spokesman Gopinath Munde said.

The party was taken aback by the eruption of dissenting voices on the bill. Till late on Wednesday evening, the party had no inkling of trouble brewing in the party. There is a lurking feeling that the rebellion was stoked by former president Rajnath Singh who wanted to send out an impression that Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj has not been able to control her Lok Sabha flock. Incidentally, most of those who have turned against the bill are known for their proximity to the former BJP president.

The charge that BJP had fallen into the Congress trap by agreeing to the suspension of the seven dissenting MPs in the Rajya Sabha was also aimed against party leader in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley. The leader was successful in taking BJP to the front row of those supporting the progressive legislation.

In his speech, Mr Jaitley was scathing in his attack on the government for using marshals to evict MPs who continued to remain in the House and prevented the debate on the women’s quota bill despite their suspension. In his speech, which could begin only after the suspended MPs were bundled out of the House, Mr Jaitley demanded that the suspended MPs should be taken back and allowed to vote against the bill. “It would enhance the credibility of the exercise,” Mr Jaitley argued.

At a meeting at Mr Advani’s residence on Thursday evening, party MPs Shatrughan Sinha, yogi Adityanath and Maneka spoke out against issuing a whip in LS. They also raised the issue of suspension of seven MPs from the Rajya Sabha.

But in the end, it was the will of the senior leaders that prevailed. BJP sent out a firm signal that its stand on the bill remain unchanged and it would issue a whip for its Lok Sabha MPs to vote for the legislation. “We will issue a whip to our MPs to vote in favour of the reservation bill,” Ms Swaraj told reporters after meeting her party colleagues earlier in the day.