Tearing of women quota bill in 1998 was impulsive: MP

Gaya: As Parliament meets to discuss the Women’s Reservation Bill, RJD’s Jehanabad MP Surendra Prasad Yadav went nostalgic and recalled the incident when he snatched a copy of the Bill from the then home minister L K Advani’s hands and tore it to pieces, leaving the House stunned. It was July 13, 1998.According to Yadav, the act was impulsive and not premeditated. It was also against the interests of OBC women, as he and many others believed that quota within quota was the need of the hour. Moreover, women belonging to all sections of society constituted 50% of the population and were entitled to an equal share of legislative seats, he said. If Yadav is to be believed, the govt of the day took the incident in its stride. The then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee subsequently invited him and heard his point of view. If Yadav is to be believed, Vajpayee even chided one of his secretaries, now a Union minister, for not briefing him properly on the issue. Asked what he would do this time, Yadav said he would simply follow the party’s stand on the issue. Known for his interest in arms, the Jehanabad MP also said he has now lost interest in weapons and has even sought permission to sell off his licensed arms.