After his threat of withdrawal of support to the United Progressive Alliance government, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad on Monday met President Pratibha Patil and apprised her of his party's stand on the issue of the Women's Reservation Bill.
Yadav, whose party, along with the Samajwadi Party, are strongly opposing the bill in its present form, told Patil that his party is not against the reservation for women but only wants the 'real needy women' of the society to be represented through it, party sources said.
Former minister and Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Premchand Gupta accompanied Yadav when he met Patil. Former union minister and senior party leader Jayprakash Yadav said the meeting between Prasad and the President had nothing to do with the issue of withdrawal of support.
"We just apprised the President of our view on the women's reservation issue. Our leader said the bill should reflect the real India," Yadav said, denying suggestions that the meeting had anything to do with submitting any formal letter about the withdrawal of support.
Prasad will also be meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday in the all-party meeting called to discuss the issue.
Earlier in the day, Prasad, along with SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, had met senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee soon after the withdrawal threat. Another senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jabir Husain said that there is no change in the party's stand over the issue and the opposition to the bill would continue unless it is modified.
