Dehradun, April 21 -- The requirement of a two-thirds majority ensured that the NDA Government's attempt to amend the Women's Reservation Act was defeated. For once the opposition had the opportunity to get the better of the government in the Lok Sabha and that proved too much of an attraction. It failed to seriously consider the opportunity that was being provided to implement a paradigm changing bill. This short-sighted approach will come with expensive consequences in political terms.
As mentioned earlier in this column, the original act required the next census to be held first, followed by delimitation. This means that the population decrease in the southern states will have to be reflected in the delimitation process. The principle o...