New Delhi, March 9: History was created when the Women’s Reservation Bill, which seeks to set aside 33 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Fourteen years after the first attempt and repeated opposition, the Constitution amendment bill was adopted with an overwhelming majority with 186 members voting in favour and one against. While UPA ally Trinamul Congress, with two members, kept away from voting, the 15-member BSP, opposing the bill in its present form, staged a walkout. In the 245-member House, with an effective strength of 233, the bill required the backing of at least 155 members.
It was a determined UPA chairperson and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi who, despite stiff and unrelenting opposition from the RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav and SP’s Mulayam Singh Yadav,  designed the passage of the landmark bill. However, Tuesday’s voting exposed the split in the JD(U). Despite the vehement opposition of party president  Sharad Yadav, seven of its members in the Rajya Sabha voted in favour of the bill.
If the Congress spin doctors dithered, Mrs Gandhi remained adamant and saw to it that the legislation was passed after the government had almost crumbled before united and strong opposition by the RJD and SP on Monday. That the government and House meant business became evident when Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari suspended seven MPs of the SP and RJD for disturbing proceedings for a second consecutive day. As the suspended MPs refused to leave the House and kept raising slogans, another bit of history was created when for the first time marshals were used in the House of Elders to physically remove them.
The passage of the bill might yet put the UPA government on a sticky wicket. RJD chief Lalu Yadav, who has four MPs in the Lok Sabha, has threatened to go to President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday morning to withdraw support from the UPA government. SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav is also looking at the same possibility. The government was also taken aback following the sudden U-turn by Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee. Ms Banerjee, who was supporting the women’s bill till Monday, decided to oppose it and her MPs (two in the Rajya Sabha) abstained from voting. JD(S) chief Deve Gowda, with three Lok Sabha MPs, said he would not support the bill since it was “anti-minority”. All eyes are now on the government’s next move, which now has to get the bill passed in the Lok Sabha before it is sent to the state Assemblies for ratification. Sources disclosed that Congress managers could bring the women’s bill in the Lok Sabha after the passage of the Finance Bill. Even then, with the SP, RJD and BSP in the mood for war, the passage of the Finance Bill in the Lok Sabha could become tricky. The Left, which is working as a bloc with the BJD and TDP and has a combined  strength of 40 MPs in the Lok Sabha, is yet to reveal its cards. It also remains to be seen whether the BJP will go for floor coordination with the Yadavs in the Lok Sabha.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mrs Gandhi remained adamant even as Mr Lalu Yadav and Mr Mulayam Singh continued to mount pressure on the government to defer the passage of the bill in the Rajya Sabha. The Yadav troika — Mr Lalu Yadav (RJD), Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP) and Mr Sharad Yadav (JD-U) — met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and told him they would not budge from their stand. Yet a determined UPA chairperson refused to give in to political blackmail and negotiate. “Soniaji ne to haath hila diya. Bola bill raehga rahega. Woh to baat sunne ko raji nahin (She just waved us off. She refused to listen and said the bill has to be passed),” Mr Mulayam Singh said. The Congress managers, who were caught napping on Monday, swung into action and went about their exercise of floor management.
As the House commenced it again witnessed unruly scenes created by SP, RJD and LJP members. This forced an adjournment till 12 noon. As the House reconvened the Chair suspended seven MPs of the SP and RJD for the rest of the Budget Session. The Upper House, which reconvened at 2 pm, was again adjourned till 3 pm. The suspended members sat on a dharna in the Well of the House, refusing to move out. When the House resumed at 3 pm, the slogan-shouting continued till Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari ordered the marshals to remove the suspended members.
It was smooth sailing then on. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who intervened in the discussion, described the occasion as “momentous” and the legislation as a “historic and great” step in the empowerment of women. With the BJP and Left giving full support, there was no stopping the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

Sanjay Basak and Nitin Mahajan