Activists ask Centre to review women's Bill; threaten stir

A group of Muslims and Dalits today asked the Centre to review the present draft of the Women's Reservation Bill to make it more inclusive to "underprivileged classes" of society.

A group of Muslims and Dalits today asked the Centre to review the present draft of the Women's Reservation Bill to make it more inclusive to "underprivileged classes" of society.

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Representatives from the groups also resolved to oppose the Bill in the present form and threatened to stage demonstration in every state capital in the days to come.

"The Bill in the present form, would further disempower the class under-represented in Parliament and state legislatures," All India Milli Council General Secretary Manzoor Alam told reporters here.

"We fear that because of their economic and political clout, the upper classes would get higher representation at the cost of Dalits and minorities, particularly Muslims," he said.

The provisions in the Bill are an attempt to corner the minority community in the country, he claimed. "We will take democratic way to protest against the loopholes of the Bill and stage demonstration on state level very soon," he said.

"The Bill should be drafted so as to accommodate women from the under-represented sections of society," she said.