Reservation Bill a post-dated cheque drawn from crashing bank

New Delhi: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule on Wednesday supported the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha and quoted Mahatma Gandhi words saying the quota bill is like a 'post-dated cheque drawn from a crashing bank'.

She also lambasted the BJP for disrespecting elected women members and said that this is their mindset.

Speaking on the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Sule, who is a MP from Baramati parliamentary constituency in Maharashtra, said: “I stand on behalf of the NCP in full support of this (Women's Reservation) bill. But there are a few points that I would like to raise or seek clarification from the government.”

She said that unless we have delimitation and census till then we will not get it (Women’s Reservation Bill) this is what we have understood so far.

“Then what is this special session. We could have done it in winter session. We could have had other discussion, there is drought in this country and why the session cannot discuss drought. This is hoodwinking,” she said.

“My question to the government is that the date of the delimitation and census is indeterminate. So is the Women’s Reservation depended on two indeterminate?” she asked.

Slamming the government she said that when the Cripps Mission was offered to Mahatma Gandhi, he had said that it is like a post dated cheque drawn from a crashing bank. “That’s what I felt when I see this,” she said.

“I want some clarification from the BJP, which I felt in my emotions that BJP was taking the anticipatory bail by making him (Nishikant Dubey) lead from the front in the debate.

“He (Nishikant Dubey) had yesterday said that now they will demand for the reservation of SC, ST and OBC in the Women’s Reservation Bill. Why cannot we demand, why cannot opposition raise this? Let’s make a Constitutional amendments, it is a special session and send a message to the nation that we are committed to the SC, ST and OBC and if they have other view they must tell the nation,” she said.

She also mentioned the role of many women leaders who championed for the Women’s Reservation Bill and said, “Other point he mentioned about Gita Mukherjee and Sushma Swaraj. I have high regard for them. Even Vrinda Karat had contributed substantially for the Women’s Reservation Bill in 2010. There are lot of women who had done exceedingly well for the same.”

Attacking Dubey, for his remarks on the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties, she said, “He said that INDIA is on the side of people who ran women down and spoke derogatorily...I would like to ask the BJP. The BJP had a head in Maharashtra. He told me personally on record on television – ‘Supriya Sule ghar jaao, khana banao, desh koi aur chala lega. Hum log chalayenge’. This is what the BJP's mindset is.”

“Another minister in their cabinet has used a derogatory word against me. So 'BJP jawab do, jab hamara kuch kah raha hai to INDIA kharab hai aur jab aapke Mantri personal comment karet hai',” she said.

Sule said, “Even Home Minister Amit Shah interfered and corrected his MP and he was graceful and he said that a man can do it. Even a brother can do it.”

“Yes he is correct but in every house there are not brothers who take care of every needs of the sister. But it was very kind of him to say that. Everyone is not so much fortunate,” she said.

Notably, Sule's cousin Ajit Pawar is now on the opposite side of the table, having sided with the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra

She said that since this is the special session I request the government to debate a few topics that are equally relevant, including the Canadian issue.