Cong claims credit for passage of Women Reservation Bill in RS

New Delhi, March 10:  Even as BRS MLC K. Kavitha holds the one-day hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Friday to demand the passage of Women Reservation Bill in Parliament, the Congress claimed credit for passing it in the Rajya Sabha, and said that the bill has not lapsed.

Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communication, Jairam Ramesh said, "The landmark Women's Reservation Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on 9th March 2010, entirely due to the efforts of the Congress leadership. But it could not find support in Lok Sabha. The Bill has not lapsed. It is alive and pending. What has stopped it from being revived?"

The Women Reservation Bill could not be passed in the Lok Sabha. It was opposed by many political parties, including some of the then UPA constituents.

The Congress decided not to participate in the one-day hunger strike at the Jantar Mantar.

The BRS said that they have got confirmation from AAP - Sanjay Singh and Chitra Sarwara; Shiv Sena (Uddhav) delegation; Akali Dal - Naresh Gujral; PDP - Anjum Javed Mirza; NC- Dr Shami Firdous; Trinamool Congress - Sushmita Dev; JD(U)- K.C. Tyagi; NCP - Dr Seema Malik; CPI - Narayana K.; Sitaram Yechury - CPI(M); Samajwadi party - Pooja Shukla, RJD - Shyam Rajak; and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal.

Earlier, she had invited 18 political parties, including the Congress to join the one-day hunger strike.