By IANS
New Delhi : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani told the Lok Sabha Monday that his party will support bills presented in any form on women’s reservation and on the creation of a separate state of Telangana.
Speaking in support of the motion of thanks on the president’s opening address, Leader of Opposition Advani sought a clarification from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on how and from which source his government would get the Rs.600 billion for the promised loan waiver to farmers announced in the budget.
Advani said that indebtedness was not the only reason driving farmers to suicide, there are other contributory factors like the rising cost of living and unaffordable education and healthcare. He asked the government to explain what it was doing to deal with these issues.
“Inflation has upset the family budget. Women are the worst affected because they take care of the family budget,” Advani said.
“The president’s speech gives the impression that it is the last one before the elections,” Advani said, adding that his party had no problems in going to the polls.
On the issue of creation of a separate Telangana state, Advani said the government should have tried to build a consensus on the issue as it had promised creation of the state earlier.
“The prime minister should clarify the government’s stand on women’s reservation and creation of Telangana. We are ready to support bills on these issues in whichever form the government tables them,” he said.
All four MPs of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) resigned from the Lok Sabha Monday in protest against the central government’s failure to carve out a separate state of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh. The BJP and Shiv Sena supported the cause in the house.
The BJP has espoused the cause of women’s reservation with new zeal after it gave 33 percent reservation to women in the party cadre.
He also sought to know from the government the action taken against those who perpetrated terror acts in Mumbai, Malegaon, Hyderabad, Bangalore and other places.
The prime minister will speak on the motion of thanks to the president’s speech Tuesday.