Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday defended his statement that the women's reservation bill would only help elite women whom youths would whistle at.
At a meeting of party workers at his party headquarters in Lucknow, Yadav said that his statement was not a slip of tongue but was made after evaluating all aspects so as to initiate a debate on the issue.
The SP chief has drawn flak from women's groups and political parties for his remark that only women belonging to affluent class including those from families of industrialists and bureaucrats would get the benefit of the bill.
“I don't like to say this, but they would be the women youth would whistle at," Yadav had said on Tuesday.
"Once the bill comes into force, not a single male would be elected to the Lok Sabha after 10 years as elected women would not leave their seats, nor the political parties would be in a position to replace them," he said.
Advocating reservation for women within political parties instead, Yadav said it should be made mandatory for them to give 15 per cent tickets to women.
"If this limit is increased by few more per cent we have no objection over it," he said and termed the legislation passed in the Rajya Sabha as "an international conspiracy to ensure that not a single male member enters the Lok Sabha."
Yadav says instead of reserving seats for women, it should be made mandatory for parties to give 15 per cent of their election tickets to women.
"If this limit is increased by few more per cent we have no objection over it," he said and termed the legislation passed in the Rajya Sabha as "an international conspiracy to ensure that not a single male member enters the Lok Sabha."
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