Backroom support

Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is determined to continue its opposition to the Women’s Reservation Bill, even though it has just four MPs in the 544 seat-strong Lok Sabha. When asked what gives his party so much strength, Prasad’s right-hand man Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said, “We are enjoying the moral support of the majority of the MPs from the Congress party and the BJP in the House. Otherwise, we couldn’t have sustained this agitation.” According to Singh, many MPs come to them every day and ask them to fight for their cause. “They can’t openly oppose the Bill because of the fear of their high command. So, we have to fight on their behalf,” added Singh. The vehement opposition to the Women’s Reservation Bill has already forced the government not to push it in the Lok Sabha, although it was passed in the Rajya Sabha.