Trinamool Congress chief and railway minister Mamata Banerjee today attributed her party's abstention from voting on the Women's Reservation Bill in Rajya Sabha to a "communication gap" and said she was committed to the Constitutional amendment.
"In Rajya Sabha we have two members. We were not informed... there was a communication gap," she told reporters outside Parliament.
She said during the meeting of allies with prime minister Manmohan Singh, it was decided that an all party meeting would
be called (on the Bill) where her party could also raise the issue of including minorities in women's reservation.
"But no (all party) meeting was called later. We had no information," said Banerjee who was fuming yesterday and
directed her two Rajya Sabha members not to vote.
While defending her decision to abstain from voting, she said, "Our party is committed to the bill. We will do it."
Congress President Sonia Gandhi had yesterday expressed surprise over Trinamool's abstention, saying Banerjee had been
"enthusiastic" when the bill was discussed in a Cabinet
meeting.
When pointed that Left was taking all the credit for the successful passage of the Bill in the Upper House, she said Left never wanted quota for women in the Rajya Sabha as it was against letting common women enter the Upper House.
Yesterday, Trinamool MP Dinesh Trivedi had said his party chief wanted the views of the Dalits, OBCs and Muslims to be taken on board. "But unfortunately that did not happen. Trinamool Congress is for debate and discussion," he had said.
Attacking the Left, Mamata said while her party supports the bill, "please remember, that it is no CPM's bill."
Mamata said the issue of quota for minorities has also been mentioned in Srikrishna commission and Sachar committee
reports.
"Srikrishna commission and Sachar committee have completed their report. There are some grievances over minorities also, they want to discuss the matter," she said on her party's stand on including minorities in women's reservation in Lok Sabha and State assemblies.
To a question on her party's stand when the bill is tabled in the Lok Sabha, she said the party will take a decision when it happens. "We will see when it comes," she said.
