New Delhi, May 5: With the Union Cabinet today approving the Women’s Reservation Bill providing for 33% quotas for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, the UPA government is set to table it in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. But it seems all set once again to become an exercise in political tokenism with a major UPA constituent, the RJD, joining hands with its new-found ally Samajwadi Party to torpedo its passage.

For the Congress, tabling of the Bill itself provides brownie points. By ensuring the introduction of the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, a permanent body where the Bill cannot lapse, Sonia Gandhi will “vindicate” her commitment to the welfare of women in the country, said a senior party leader.

But seeking to collaborate and coordinate their anti-Bill efforts, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav called up SP general secretary Amar Singh on Sunday, who returned the gesture by calling up the RJD chief after the Cabinet meeting tonight.

While two Yadavs, Lalu and Mulayam Singh Yadav, have already joined hands, Amar Singh has also met Sharad Yadav of the JD(U) in an effort to form the Yadav Triumvirate who oppose the Bill demanding a sub-quota for OBCs and minorities in it.

After long discussions with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday, Lalu agreed to allow the government to table the Bill but remained non-committal on allowing its passage, according to Congress sources.

At the Cabinet meeting this evening, Lalu reiterated his party’s opposition to the Bill in its current format. But all parties, including the DMK and the LJP, said the Bill should, at least, be introduced. Pranab Mukherjee assured the RJD chief that the government would try to address the RJD’s concerns. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh then invoked the NCMP commitment to women’s quota in the legislature.

As per the strategy worked out by the RJD, MP Rajniti Prasad will register his party’s objection to the Bill at the time of introduction. In reply, Law Minister H R Bhardwaj will then seek to address the apprehension and concern of the RJD, according to party sources. Once the Bill is tabled, the strategy is to turn the heat on the Opposition BJP with the SP raising the issue of anti-North Indian remarks of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray. “RJD leader and Union Railways Minister took the initiative yesterday to call me up to urge Samajwadi Party to remain firm on its opposition to the Women Reservation Bill in its current format,” Amar Singh told The Indian Express. Singh said he assured the RJD chief that his party would continue to oppose the Bill in the current format. The SP general secretary said he himself had taken the initiative to meet Sharad Yadav on this issue.

“In fact, Sharad Yadavji informed me that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is also against the Bill in the current format,” said Singh.

The women’s reservation bill was first introduced during the United Front government in 1996, but was scotched by the same Yadav triumvirate. It was again introduced by Atal Behari Vajpayee government in 1998, and then again in 1999, but was again scuttled. In the process, the House had witnessed unruly scenes like snatching of the copies of the bill at the time of introduction.