LS adjourned over Women’s Reservation Bill

NEW DELHI, AUG 25: AMID bedlam over Women's Reservation Bill for half-an-hour, Lok Sabha was on Friday adjourned for the lunch recess on t...

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NEW DELHI, AUG 25: AMID bedlam over Women’s Reservation Bill for half-an-hour, Lok Sabha was on Friday adjourned for the lunch recess on the last day of the Monsoon Session.

As soon as Congress Deputy leader Madhavrao Scindia raised the issue of women’s reservation in legislature during zero hour and sought adoption of the bill in the winter session, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav took strong exception and said nothing should be done till there was a consensus on it.

Congress members and those belonging to Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal clashed on the issue and stormed the well of the House shouting slogans against each other.

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Women members from the Congress including former minister Margaret Alva and Renuka Choudhury were in the forefront demanding passage of the bill, while several their counterparts from SP and RJD led their colleagues in the well opposing the legislation.

In the melee, SP member Phoolan Devi staged a dharna near the podium and an independent member S K Bwiswmuthiary also squatted pressing his demand for a separate state of Bodoland.

Efforts by Speaker GMC Balayogi to restore orderin the House failed to pacify the agitated members who continued to shout slogans.

The monsoon session of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha was today adjourned sine die by Speaker GMC Balayogi with the House having passed 21 bills including those for creation of new states of Uttaranchal, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand in 22 sittings.