Mamata backs Yadavs on quota within quota

The Trinamul Congress chief and railway minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, on Monday once again joined hands with the Yadav troika of Mulayam, Lalu and Sharad in blocking the Women Reservation Bill in its present form during the all-party meeting.

She had made her stand clear on the issue when the bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha during the first part of the Budget session, as she favoured a sub-quota for Muslims within the 33 per cent quota for women.

A key ally of the Congress-led ruling UPA, the TMC favoured “consensus” over the legislation before the bill is brought to Lok Sabha for its passage. Sources in the UPA said, the sudden U-turn by Ms Banerjee had brought considerable embarrassment.

Interestingly, Ms Banerjee had a separate meeting with the Yadav triumvirate. The meeting lasted for about five minutes, but as sources confirmed, “the point had been made”. The foursome then went to meet to the senior Congress leader and finance minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, who had chaired the all-party meeting and conveyed their objections. “The message was loud and clear that Mamtadi is with the Yadav Bandhus (Yadav brothers),” the sources said.

The Yadav troika continued to remain stubborn on the issue, as they persisted with their demand of having sub-quota for Muslim, OBC and dalit within the overall 33 per cent quota for women.