New Delhi: JD(U) Lok Sabha MPs on Monday
unanimously decided to ask party chief Sharad Yadav to hold
discussions with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Women`s
Reservation Bill and direct the Chief Whip to issue a whip
over voting on the measure in Lok Sabha.
Though JD(U) has traditionally been opposed to the bill
in its present form and has been asking for a quota within
quota for Dalits and minorities, differences could be seen
among party MPs after Kumar supported it.
A letter signed by 17 Lok Sabha MPs of the party,
including Mangani Lal Mandal, who is the Chief Whip in the
Lower House, said, "It has unanimously been decided to urge
Sharad Yadav to speak to Nitish Kumar and direct the Chief
Whip to issue a whip in Lok Sabha (on the Bill)."
The party has 20 MPs in Lok Sabha and seven in Rajya
Sabha.
Earlier in the day, the party`s Parliamentary party
meeting on the bill remained inconclusive as several of its LS
and RS MPs were not present in it.
After the meeting, party`s RS MP Shivanand Tiwari had
said that veteran Lok Sabha MP Ram Sundar Das has been asked
to speak to both Nitish and Yadav over the issue of the
party`s line on the Bill.
Tiwari had also said that if there is no clear direction
from the party leadership, the RS members will take a decision
among themselves on it an hour before voting on the bill in
Parliament.
PTI
