CHENNAI, Aug 24: Member of Parliament and president, Bharatiya Yuva Morcha, Uma Bharti said that reservation for women under the Women's reservation bill should provide for reservations for MBC/SC/St women also.

Speaking during a debate on the subject, organised by Vigil, a public opinion forum, she said that women were backward, and were denied certain advantages from childhood onwards, whatever be their religion. She said the creamy layer should be removed from reservation.

Denying certain allegations made against women, she said that problems of women had never been seen in the right perspective by men. It needed women in the Parliament to set right these wrongs.

Quoting the example of Rani Lakshmi Bai, who had fought invaders with a sword in hand and her baby strapped on to her back, she said that if women set their hearts and minds on any issue, they would be able to tackle it.Joint convenor of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch S Gurumurthy said it was a fallacy that women were being dragged down by men. Women were the repositories of culture and this could not be lost. The very view that women were discriminated against was Western, and had no place in Hinduism, he said.

According to Gurumurthy, Indian men had become oblivious of their responsibility towards women, and this was the mistake that needed to be rectified.

Radha Rajan, secretary, Vigil, made the welcome address.

Later, Uma Bharti and Gurumurthy answered questions from the audience.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.