Lalu Prasad

New Delhi, May 9: The women’s reservation bill seems to be redrawing the political divide in Delhi.

Cracks are showing up in the ruling combine, the Opposition as well as the third front that some parties are trying to stitch together.

For the first time, the Congress, the BJP and the Left find themselves on the same side of the fence — backing the bill to the hilt.

The bill has also brought together the three Yadavs — RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal (United) — each of whom represents a different combine.

They are all opposed to the bill in its present form, demanding a sub-quota for Other Backward Classes and minorities within the 33 per cent seats proposed to be set aside for women in Parliament and state legislatures.

The RJD is the UPA’s thorn. After Lalu Prasad initially agreed to let the government move the bill in the Rajya Sabha, his party suddenly went into an aggressive mode, accusing the government of tabling the bill without consulting allies.

While Lalu Prasad has kept quiet, party colleague Devendra Prasad Yadav threatened withdrawal of support to the government if the RJD’s sentiment was ignored.

The RJD is the Congress’s second largest ally in the UPA, with 24 MPs in the Lok Sabha, and its threat is sure to cause serious concern to the party.

But the Congress could, perhaps, take comfort from the fact that the bill appears to have caused a breach in the third front even before it has formally come into being.

At its parliamentary board meeting yesterday, the Samajwadi Party lambasted the CPM for pressuring the government into tabling the bill and “creating the mess”.

“The CPM has back-stabbed the UNPA,” Samajwadi general secretary Amar Singh said.

Battle lines over the bill have been drawn in the NDA camp, too. The BJP is all for the bill. But Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav is toeing the Lalu Prasad line. He met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging him not to move the bill without amendments providing sub-quotas to OBCs and minorities.

“The RJD, Samajwadi Party, Dal (U), Shiv Sena, BSP and the DMK are all against it. Between them, they have about 170 seats in Parliament. Is it possible to carry out any constitutional amendment without their support?” he asked.

The Shiv Sena, an NDA member, favours the formula suggested by the Election Commission — each political party should give 33 per cent of its tickets to women candidates.