Ahead of the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi appeared confident of the 14-year-old saga drawing to a successful close before the day was through.
In a fleeting interaction with journalists in Parliament, Ms. Gandhi said she was keeping her fingers crossed and wished former allies — the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Samajwadi Party — were on board for the passage of the historic legislation.
Asked about the reservations expressed by the Trinamool Congress vis-à-vis the Bill, Ms. Gandhi pointed out that all allies had been supportive of this piece of legislation. Naming each ally, Ms. Gandhi said, everyone had supported it and “I don't see any problems within the United Progressive Alliance.”
