The Hindu By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUNELVELI, JULY 16. Ms. Phoolan Devi, Samajwadi Party MP, today said her party will not allow the Women's Reservation Bill to be passed in its present form at any cost, as providing 33 per cent reservation in itself will not protect the interests of women belonging to the backward classes and weaker sections of society.

Speaking to presspersons here, Ms. Phoolan Devi, here to attend the silver jubilee celebrations of a Tamil monthly Maruthamalar, said her party strongly favoured reservation for women on caste basis, and separate reservation for the women belonging to the backward classes and hailing from rural areas. The Bill, in the present form, will only benefit women of the upper castes and the educated sections.

Ms. Devi said her party will take all effective steps to block the adoption of the Bill in Parliament. Some smaller parties have also extended support to the Samajwadi Party in this regard. She said her party has urged the President, Mr. K.R. Narayanan, not to accord assent to the Bill, even if it was passed by Parliament.

Centre anti-poor

About the performance of the Vajpayee Government, she said the policies adopted by the present regime will immensely harm the interest of the country and the common people. The Central Government has made life miserable for the poor and downtrodden. Referring to the recent explosions in Churches and the attacks on Christian religious heads, she said the Central Government is communal to the core and has unleashed goonda and mafia raj. She termed the attacks on minority communities unfortunate.