No women in panel on women’s Bill so BJP fields Najma

Though Heptulla, given both her seniority and stature, would merit being nominated the chairperson of any standing committee, the BJP, sources said, has chosen her considering its high stakes in the legislation.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, headed by Rajya Sabha member E M Sudarsana Natchiappan of Congress, comprises a total of 31 people. Currently, it has seven vacancies, two from the Rajya Sabha and five from the Lok Sabha. The BJP has zeroed in on Heptulla to fill one of the vacant slots falling in its quota. The other parties may take the cue and nominate women to the body.

A former deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, Heptulla, 68, is in her fifth term in the Upper House. A former chairperson of the Indian Council for Cultural Affairs, she defected to the BJP in 2004 after having been a Congress member of the Rajya Sabha for four terms. The BJP promptly nominated her for the Upper House from Rajasthan. The BJP also fielded her during the vice-presidential poll last year.