New Delhi: A jubilant Congress President
Sonia Gandhi today appeared to express confidence over the
stability of the UPA government but wished former allies like
SP and RJD were with it on the women's reservation bill.
"I think so. One can never tell. I am not not an
astrologer. I wish our former partners remained with us," she
told reporters here.
She was asked if she was confident about the stability
of the government in the wake of threats by SP and RJD of
withdrawal of their support to the UPA government if it went
ahead with the passage of the women's reservation bill.
Asked about the strategy on when the Bill would be
brought to Lok Sabha, Gandhi said "let us get it passed here
(Rajya Sabha). I am keeping my fingers crossed."
To a question on Trinamool Congress expressing
reservations over the passage of the bill, she said all the
parties in the UPA had welcomed the measure when it was
brought in the Cabinet and she saw no no problems within the
UPA.
"Mamata Banerjee was quite enthusiastic. DMK has been
for the bill and supported the Prime Minister fully. Pawar
also fully supported it. Everyone has supported it. I don't
see any problems within the UPA," she said.
When asked whether she had to be tough to push ahead
with the bill, Gandhi said yesterday also she was firm.
People mentioned some possible consequences which she had to take into account. "I may not not have thought of that."
She denied suggestions that Congress was "in a
shambles" yesterday on the bill. "Certain developments took
place and we had to face that," she said.
-PTI
First Published: Tuesday, March 09, 2010, 17:51