RLM to hold march today over women’s quota dispute

Patna: Rajya Sabha member Upendra Kushwaha’s party Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) will organise a ‘dhikkar march’ at district headquarters in the state on Wednesday against the opposition for voting against the Constitution Amendment Bill to ensure 33% quota for women in Parliament and state assemblies. Kushwaha made the announcement during a press conference on Tuesday.The RLM plans to reach out to the public to expose the “intentions” of the opposition and highlight how politics was played over critical national issues, he said.Kushwaha said a significant step had been taken towards granting rights to half of the country’s population under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi.“Our party, too, advocates for ensuring that women receive their due representation in both the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies. The party remains steadfast in its commitment to the principles of social justice, maintaining that along with women, the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) must also be accorded equal rights,” he said.Kushwaha said while the current Bill lacked explicit provisions for the OBC category, the opposition was using the issue as a pretext to oppose it. The NDA govt remains committed to working in this direction in the future, he said.RLM state president Alok Singh and MLA Madhav Anand, among others, were also present at the press conference.