JD (U) divided over women’s quota

NEW DELHI/PATNA, March 6: Sharp divisions emerged among the opponents of the women’s reservation Bill with Bihar Chief Nitish Kumar supporting the measure pitting himself against his party president Sharad Yadav who is opposed to it.

“When I was a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, I had given a dissent note (more than a decade ago). Now the time has come to give women reservation in Parliament and State Assemblies. I will talk to Sharadji and appeal to him to ensure passage of the bill,” Mr. Kumar told reporters in Patna.

However, JD(U) President Sharad Yadav, a strong opponent of the Bill ever since its introduction in 1997, said his party’s opposition to the measure in its present form would continue