BJP has responded to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's letter to PM Modi on quotas for women. (File Photo)

Highlights Should have directed her appeal to her allies RJD, Samajwadi Party: BJP

Lalu, Mulayam were among most vocal critics of women reservation bill

Women's Reservation Bill was cleared by Rajya Sabha in 2010

Their central argument against the 33 per cent quota is that the reserved seats would be cornered by women from upper castes since there weren't many from the weaker sections in politics. To safeguard their interest, they demanded sub-quotas for women from weaker groups such as backward classes and minorities, a formula that major parties had rejected.The NDA government has not set a timeline to bring the quota bill to parliament. For three years, it has been telling parliament that " the issue involved needs careful consideration on the basis of consensus among all political parties before a bill for amendment in the Constitution is brought before parliament".