Bihar House set for trial of strength

The NDA’s efforts to lure a number of Congress MLAs, whose support is crucial for either side securing a majority, has by all available accounts not met with the desired success.

NDA sources, however, still express confidence that the Speaker’s election would result in cross-voting to their advantage, but RJD sources dismissed their claim saying the “seven-day wonder” of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar being in power would come to an end tomorrow itself.

Meanwhile, with the contest for the speakership on the cards, both the sides intensified their last ditch efforts to garner additional support, but the outcome hinges primarily on the 23-member Congress, which despite initial reservations about realignment with RJD, has given no indication of defying the directive of Central leadership to go with Laloo Prasad Yadav’s party.

Meanwhile, the shadow of Bihar developments loomed large in the Lok Sabha during an impromptu discussion on the occasion of International Women’s day today with Opposition members strongly protesting over the denial of Chief Ministership to Rabri Devi.

While women members cutting across party lines demanded immediate passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill, Opposition members also used the occasion to drive home their point that “injustice” has been done to Rabri Devi who has been denied chief ministership.

They described as “good augury” that the House, which was rocked for nine days on the RSS and Bihar issues, had virtually returned to normal on the International Women’s day today.

The issue of Women’s Reservation Bill was also raised in the Rajya Sabha by no less than Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah through a special mention. She demanded that the Bill be passed without any delay.

Both the Houses saw women members paying glowing tributes to CPI veteran Geeta Mukherjee, who died last week, for championing the cause of 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

In the Lok Sabha, Margaret Alva, who was only yesterday appointed Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Empowerment of Women, initiated the impromptu discussion. She recalled the contribution of Rajiv Gandhi in providing reservation to women in panchayati raj institutions.

Alva as also Girija Vyas (both Cong), Kanti Singh (RJD), Reena Chaudhary (SP) A K Premjam and Phoolan Devi said “injustice” has been done to Rabri Devi by denying her Chief Ministership and wanted the “wrong” to be rectified.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee as also Minister of State for Power Jayawantiben Mehta expressed themselves against dividing women on the basis of caste, but this was strongly contested by several Opposition women members including Phoolan Devi.

Phoolan Devi went to the extent of demanding 50 per cent reservation for women saying that since women constituted half of the country’s one billion population, they should be given representation as per their size.

The women members irrespective of party affiliations regretted that a fair deal has not been meted out to the fair sex as they have been given the status of only “second class citizens”.

They said women from rural areas suffered the worst kind of exploitation and were unaware of their rights.