New Delhi, March 09: Law Minister M Veerappa Moily today said
that once the Women Reservation Bill was passed by Parliament, the government would bring a separate law for determination of seats
and reservation so that concerns expressed by members on the Bill
could be addressed.Replying to the debate on the Bill in the Rajya
Sabha, Mr Moily said that as far as the demand for reservation for
OBC and Muslim women in the Constitution 108th amendment was
concerned as are being demanded by the Samajwadi Party and the RJD,
there has been no caste census since 1935 so there was no data on
OBC.
Moreover, one caste is considered OBC in one state while it was
not in other ten states so it couldnot be accommodated. Regarding
the demand for reservation for Muslim women, there was no provision
for reservation for minorities anywhere in the country he pointed
out.
As far as SC/STs were concerned, they already have been given
reservation in the Women’s Reservation Bill, the Law Minister
pointed.
He said that the time has come to act boldly with a vision as any
reforms first create disturbance.
However, the passage of the bill
depict the tolerance, resilience and great meticulous willpower of
the members and Chairman Mohammad Hamid Ansari who withstood
unprecedented turbulence yesterday and ultimately saw the
convergence of unity. He said that today an opportunity has come
when the country not fall back.
–Agencies