Rabri demands 50 per cent reservation for women in parliament,

Former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi today demanded that the Central government reserve 50 per cent seats in Parliament and state legislative assemblies for women, especially backward women.
"The Government of India should give 50 per cent reservation to women. The Centre should try to accommodate all sections of women. The reservation benefit should be extended to backward women especially those who are downtrodden, poor and needy and not to 'hi-fi women'," Rabri Devi said while raising the issue on International Women's Day in the Legislative Council.
She, however, asserted that her party RJD would oppose if the reservation benefit is extended to 'hi-fi' women.

Rabri said this while participating in a debate in the state Legislative Council on budgetary demand of agriculture department.
She said that quota benefit should be given to the last person of the society in order to accommodate everyone including backwards into the mainstream of the society.
Rabri was referring to the women's reservation in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.

Countering allegations levelled against her husband Lalu Prasad that he was against women's reservation, Rabri said that "How could I have become the Chief Minister, if Lalu Prasad jee would have been against women. Taj Mahal was built after the death of the woman but Lalu jee gave me the 'Taj' (crown) in my lifetime."

The former CM pointed out the virtues of prohibition implemented by the alliance government and how it has changed the lives of women in the state.
BJP, the principal opposition party in the Council, too favoured 33 per cent quota for women in Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.
Leader of Opposition Sushil Kumar Modi urged "the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene an all party meeting and should take everyone, even those who are opposing the women's reservation, on board on the issue and implement 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies before the 2019 general elections.

Even Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has already announced his consent for 33 per cent reservation in the present form which does not talk about quota within the quota, he said adding that his party has reserved 33 per cent posts for women and other parties should also follow it.
Cooperative Minister Alok Mehta, however, tried to dispel the perception that RJD was against women's quota, instead it wanted quota within the quota for scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, OBC.