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Keywords: Parliament, Women\'s Reservation Bill

New Delhi: The long pending Women's Reservation Bill will be introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi told CNN-IBN that every effort would be made to pass it through.

With the Cabinet discussing the Women's Reservation Bill on Monday evening, both pro and anti-quota groups were lobbying hard as government tried to work out a consensus formula.

Law Minister Hansraj Bharadwaj said, "There are some differences, but we will try to bring the bill."

For years the political consensus on the issue has been confined to only three major political formations in the country — officially all the major political parties including Congress, BJP and the Left have pledged support to the bill.

"We are committed to the bill," said CPI Leader Gurdas Dasgupta.

However pro-OBC parties in and outside the UPA have stuck to the guns in opposing the bill, but by afternoon some major constituents of the ruling alliance had mellowed their stand.

Railway Minister Lalu Yadav said, “Let the political parties decide within themselves about the quotas."

A quid pro-quo seems to have worked out within the UPA allies. If allowed to introduce the bill it would be sent to the standing committee — which will give the government some more time to build consensus on the issue.

The process could delay its implementation or even dilute the current provisions of directly reserving 33 per cent seats in parliament and state legislatures, but at least a beginning could have made these closed gates open up in the future to accommodate more women.