Mayawati attacks Centre for delay in clearing anti-rape bill

BSP chief Mayawati today attacked the Centre for delay in clearing the anti-rape bill due to "internal differences" in the Cabinet, saying it showed the Centre's intentions on the issue were "not clear".
"If this bill is not cleared in this session, you all know that the ordinance will lapse. This makes it clear that Central government's intentions on providing security to women are not clear," she told reporters outside Parliament here.
"If the Centre wants to put this matter on the back-burner because of internal differences in the Cabinet, then I think the women of this country will not forgive them," the BSP chief said.

Mayawati claimed that the decision on the bill was deferred due to "differences between the Law Minister and the Home Minister on the bill related to women's security. As far as my information is concerned, the Law Minister is not agreeing to certain provisions and that is why this issue is stuck."
Asked if more laws were required to be framed as already there were 40 legislations for women's security, she said, "I think because the earlier laws have not been implemented, there is a need for amendments in view of the increasing incidents of rape in Delhi and more so in Uttar Pradesh. We need the law urgently."

The bill seeking to make punishment for crime against women more stringent was referred to a Group of Ministers for further consultations after differences erupted in the meeting of the Union Cabinet on certain provisions, including lowering the age of consensual sex to 16 years.