Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati backed the government’s move to table the Women’s Reservation Bill, but with a rider. While she supported the bill, which is to be tabled in the Parliament on Wednesday, she said the quota for women should be raised to 50 per cent from the currently proposed 33 per cent.

Talking to reporters in Lucknow, on Tuesday, the BSP chief said, “We hope that this time the bill will be passed by Parliament, which has been postponed for a long time.” However, she stressed that her party would support the bill if the quota for women is increased to 50 per cent from 33 per cent.

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Mayawati also demanded separate quota for OBCs and SCs and STs in women’s reservation.

“As the casteist parties do not want to see the Women’s Reservation Bill being passed, so separate reservation arrangements should be made for women of these categories. If this does not happen, then we will assume that they want to marginalize them, like the Congress did,” she said.

The BSP chief also said if there is a proposal to increase the number of seats in Parliament, then too, there should not be any kind of politics. “We will give full support and help in passing the bill,” she said.