Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu drew flak from all corners for his remark at the National Women’s Parliament that the BJP-led government would pass the Women’s Reservation Bill, when it gets a majority in the Rajya Sabha.

Congress Spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi alleging that this is just a gimmick, said that the BJP has lack of commitment to this issue. “If the BJP was serious about the issue, they could have easily passed the Bill in the Lok Sabha first, where they enjoy a majority by themselves,” she added.

Asserting that they have been always for the Bill and even got it passed back in the Upper House in 2010, she wondered that if they (BJP) tabled it in the Rajya Sabha, why wouldn’t we support it?

NCP MP Supriya Sule also has a similar take. Get the Bill passed in the Lok Sabha first and then manage a consensus among all parties in the Rajya Sabha, she said. “All they have to do is to talk to the NCP, Congress and Trinamool Congress to easily get the numbers. They don’t need a BJP majority in the Rajya Sabha for that,” says Sule.

Out of a total strength of 245 members in the Rajya Sabha, the Congress has 60 seats; the BJP has 56; and NCP and Trinamool have 5 and 11 respectively. That is, if these four parties come together on this issue, they will easily have 132 votes to pass the Bill, making Naidu’s excuse that BJP has to wait to get a majority of its own ring hollow.

Commenting on Naidu’s remarks, CPM leader Subhasini Ali said she doesn’t think the BJP is sincere about the issue at all. “The BJP is ideologically against the idea of freedom of women. They are proposing ‘Anti-Romeo Squads’ in their manifesto for the UP election. That shows their mentality,” she added.