PM-Oppn talks on women’s Bill today
SP, RJD stall LS work

NEW DELHI, Dec 21 (UNI) — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, will meet leaders of the opposition parties tomorrow in an effort to arrive at a consensus on the introduction of the Bill seeking to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav (Samajwadi) had raised the issue when the House re-assembled at 2 p.m. after proceedings had been stalled in the morning over the demand for a sub-quota for backwards and minorities.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Pramod Mahajan, said the government was committed to introduce the Bill in the current session of Parliament. Though it was not possible to arrive at a consensus on the issue but efforts would be made again by the Prime Minister to reach as much unanimity as was possible on the Bill, he said.

As soon as the House re-assembled, members belonging to the Samajwadi Party at the instance of Mr Mulayam Singh started raising slogans against the Bill demanding sub-quota for the weaker sections and Muslims. Some of them also squatted in the well of the House ignoring repeated requests of Mr Basudev Acharia (CPM), who was in the Chair to allow the House to take up a calling attention motion on the crisis in the jute industry. Amidst pandemonium, the Chair called Mr Rup Chand Pal (CPM) to move the motion. After he finished, Textiles Minister Kanshiram Rana made a written statement.

When Mr Mulayam Singh remained adamant on seeking assurance from the government that the Bill would not be introduced without consulting the parties opposing it, Mr Mahajan said he had apprised the Prime Minister of the issue.

The SP and the RJD members had stalled pre-lunch proceedings in the House opposing the Bill minus sub-quota.

Pandemonium broke out as members of the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal trooped in the well of the House the moment it assembled this morning, stalling proceedings for nearly three hours, raising slogans for a sub-quota for other backward classes and minorities in the proposed Bill.

About 20 members of both parties squatted in the well for sometime unmindful of the occasional outbursts from the Deputy Speaker, Mr P.M. Sayeed, who tried to cajole them intially and then threatened to name them and warned of serious consequences. But the agitated members did not relent.

Yesterday the Congress, Left parties and the AIADMK had staged a walkout in the House, protesting against the government’s failure to commit itself to the passage of the Bill.

The Deputy Speaker tried to rush through the business of the House brushing aside their objections but nothing was audible in the din. The Deputy Speaker said since the women’s Bill was not listed in the agenda, their protest was invalid.

Leading the protest, SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav spoke of a trade off between the BJP and the Congress with regard to this legislation. The Bill, he said, was being brought at the instance of the Congress since the ruling party needed their support in the Rajya Sabha for conduct of official business. He asked the government to delay the introduction of the Bill till a consensus is reached on the sub-quota for other backwards and minorities.

The House witnessed a flutter when deputy leader of Janata Dal (U) D.P. Yadav supported the sub-quota and asked the government not to rush through the Bill. He said while no one opposed the women’s Bill per se, steps should be taken to introduce sub-quota for the weaker sections. The introduction of this Bill in the current form should be put on hold, he said amid loud cheers from his erstwhile Janata Parivar members who were squatting in the well.

Mr Sudip Bandopadhyaya (Trinamool Congress) said though his party was fully committed to 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and legislatures, the government should hold talks with parties to arrive at a consensus.

CBI opposes bail to Bathinda judge
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Dec 21 — Claiming Bathinda Civil Judge M.S. Walia to have “no valid ground” for the grant of bail, the Central Bureau of Investigation today stated that the accused, “if enlarged” might influence the prosecution witnesses.

In his reply submitted before UT District and Sessions Judge, Mr B.S. Bedi, counsel for the premier investigating agency, added that the accused might even abscond or “arrange for his admission in some hospital for avoiding judicial custody”. The accused, the counsel added, was not to perform the ‘kanyadan’ of his brother-in-law’s daughter.

Seeking grant of bail for a week starting from December 25, counsel for the applicant had earlier said the Civil Judge would be able to meet all relatives who would be gathering on the occasion.

The bail application will now come up before UT Additional District and Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge for CBI cases, Mr S.S. Lamba, on December 24.

The Civil Judge, it may be recalled, was booked by the Chandigarh Police under the Prevention of Corruption Act on the complaint of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Registrar.

It was alleged that the Civil Judge after opening a fixed deposit account had “deposited Rs 50,000 in his own name, Rs 50,000 each in the name of his wife, son and daughters on November 18, 1996”. It was added that the Judge, along with his family “had obtained six bankers cheques on account of encashment on six FDRs of Rs 50,000 each totalling Rs 3 lakh plus interest”.