By IANS
New Delhi : The Mahila Morcha (Women’s Front) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will launch an agitation Thursday to demand 33 percent reservation of seats for women in the parliament.
The protestors plan to hold their rally in front of Parliament House.
At a joint press conference, BJP Mahila Morcha president Kiran Maheshwari and the party’s national in-charge of the women’s wing Sumitra Mahajan said here Wednesday the party is committed to providing 33 percent reservation for women in parliament and state assemblies.
“The BJP is the only party in the country to provide 33 percent reservation for women within the organization,” said Maheshwari. BJP had passed an unanimous resolution in this regard at its national council meeting in January.
“The BJP Mahila Morcha is organizing a major women’s national rally Thursday at the Ram Lila Maidan in New Delhi with the objective to pressure the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to table the women’s reservation bill in parliament,” Maheshwari said.
Party sources claimed about 100,000 women workers will assemble in Delhi from various parts of the country, including the southern and north-eastern states, for the rally.
Among others, Thursday’s rally will be addressed by BJP’s senior leader L.K. Advani, president Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and former Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson Najma Heptullah.
The political parties have been divided on the issue of women’s reservation in parliament. As a result, the bill has never been tabled and has not moved beyond preliminary discussions in conference rooms.
Sources said the BJP’s rank and file too was divided over distribution of party tickets among women for assembly and Lok Sabha elections.