'Women's Bill passed, but actual politics will start now'

Excerpts from India Business Hour on CNBC-TV18 Watch the full show » RELATED NEWS Can women's quota bill pass lok sabha test Rajya Sabha passes women's reservation bill Are reservations the right way of empowering women?

Yesterday was a historic day in Indian politics as the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left backed the Congress in passing the Women's Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

Shobana Bhartia, RS Member, says the Bill has been passed in Rajya Sabha with a very comfortable majority. It is likely to go to the Lok Sabha and there too the ruling party has a complete majority to be able to pass the Bill.

But, she says, the Finance Bill is yet to be passed and the numbers there look quite precarious if the allies i.e. if Lalu's party, if Samajwadi are planning to withdraw support. "I think the actual politics will start now, though this Bill passed extremely comfortably."

Here is a verbatim transcript of the exclusive interview with Shobana Bhartia on CNBC-TV18. Also watch the accompanying video.

Q: What have you made of the Women's Bill being passed in the Rajya Sabha?

A: It has been quite a historic Bill and there have been four attempts in the past to have passed it, so to that extent, I think it is a major landmark. But the question is 'what would happen now?' The Bill has been passed in Rajya Sabha with a very comfortable majority. It is likely to go to the Lok Sabha and there too the ruling party has a complete majority to be able to pass the Bill.

But as we all know the Finance Bill is yet to be passed and the numbers there look quite precarious if the allies i.e. if Lalu's party, if Samajwadi are planning to go to the President today, they are planning to withdraw support. So officially today they will go and present latest to the President. If that happens then they are talking about a very narrow majority of two or three and that to my mind would put the government under a lot of pressure because United Progressive Alliance (UPA) too has just started and there is a lot of legislation that is yet to be even addressed leave alone passed. So I think the actual politics will start now, though this Bill passed extremely comfortably.

Q: So are you saying that this is not the full battle won as far as this Bill is concerned, we have just probably gone half way home. Also another point, would you have much rather seen this Bill go through in a slightly more respectful manner than the kind of acrimonious scenes we have seen in the Rajya Sabha over the last few days?

A: It goes without saying that what happened was extremely disturbing. One has never seen such scenes in Parliament and it doesn't behoof the dignity of Parliament. But unfortunately there needs to be space for political discourse, there needs to be space for opposition use as well. I think enough of a chance was given and rather than actually dissenting and voicing their defend to many clauses or the Bill per se, I think certain section and that is too a section, which was greatly in the minority, wanted to hold up the house indefinitely leaving the Chair with no option, but to take the measures that he did. But it was very unfortunate and most of us hope that their suspension would get revoked today. The Bill of course has passed, but as you know these Members of Parliament (MPs) they have been suspended for the duration of this session. So one hopes that gets revoked.

But I don't see this Bill having gone so far facing any obstacles in its passage through the Lok Sabha as well. I think the problems are and I think the questions to be addressed are, 'what would happen to this coalition and to their allies going forward?' The Women's Reservation Bill will be done with and will be over, but then there are so many other issues to be addressed starting with the Finance Bill and many other important bills.