New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) The government will go ahead with the women’s reservation bill with no plans to dilute any of its clauses even though it is open to discussions with any political party, said Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
“The cabinet has taken a well-informed decision. If we did not believe in the decision we have taken then why would we have taken such a step in the first place?” Khurshid queried, speaking to reporters on the margins of a microfinance conference here.

“We have already said in parliament that we are ready to listen to all parties and only then the bill will be tabled in the Lok Sabha. So there is no afterthought at all on tabling the bill,” said Khurshid, who also holds the corporate affairs portfolio.

The historic bill — in the form of an amendment to the constitution provides for 33 percent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state legislatures — was passed in Rajya Sabha March 9.

The reservation is proposed on a rotational basis for 15 years. Within such reservation, some opposition parties want seats exclusively set aside for for women belonging to backward and minority communities.

“Our belief is women should not be divided on the basis of religion — it is not a good thing at all neither for women’s movement nor democracy. I do not see any change in that stand,” Khurshid said.

“The finance minister (Pranab Mukherjee) has said he will talk to all parties and then proceed on this matter,” he said, adding: “Till date, whatever the opposition parties are saying against the bill is beyond my comprehension.”