Finance Minister P.Chidambaram today warned the Women's Reservation Bill providing 33 per cent reservation for them in parliament and state legislatures would not come into force if a BJP-led government is voted to power.
Addressing Women's Day celebrations here this evening, he said barring the two regional parties, namely DMK and AIADMK, no other party was backing the bill wholeheartedly.
He regretted that the bill could not be passed by the Congress-led government despite their (Congress) best efforts. If it had been passed, there would be 182 women MPs in parliament now, he said.
In states Like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh women did not even have the right to fall in love and marry, he said. "In some instances,the couple are burnt if they love and marry."
Referring to BJP, he said the party had 32 faces: Bajrang Dal was "its "unrurly face, VHP its communal face", BJP its political face etc."
Referring to state Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's reported claim that it was she who introduced the self-help group system in the country, Chidambaram said it was former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who introduced it.
