I wondered why the three Yadavs were so afraid of having women in Parliament that they actually became physical and scuttled the Women’s Reservation Bill! I decided to meet two of them:

“Hey Lalu, what’s the problem?”

“Women!”

“I know, I know, but what’s wrong in having them in the House?”

“No kitchen!”

“No kitchen?”

“No kitchen in this House!”

“You want a kitchen in Parliament?”

“Yes, good idea, then we will pass the Bill, and we will pass all bills while women make chappatis like my wife, Rabri make chappatis in the kitchen and pass it to me!” 

I went across to the other Yadav, “Hey Mulayam sahib, what’s your problem?”

“I have no problem, you have problem!”

“I have a problem?”

“Yes you want women in Parliament that’s your problem no?”

“But sir, why don’t you want women in Parliament?”

“Because I am shy man!”

“You are anything but shy sir!”

“I am shy when women are around, and when half of Parliament be full of women then I will become so shy I will not open my mouth!”

“Ah sir, you are very conservative?”

“Conservative?”

“Yes, you belong to a generation that is not used to speaking to women?”

“That is it! That is it! Women are not meant to be spoken to, women are meant to be….”

“Molested?”

“Correct, correct!”

“Beaten?”

“Yes, yes, conservative man beat women!”

“Ridiculed?”

“What is that?”

“Sir to laugh at a women, when you are with men?”

“That is me, that is me, conservative man!”

“And sir Lalu believes that women should make chappatis?”

“He is also conservative man!”

“Sir maybe that’s why women want to get into Parliament!”

“Why?” asks Mulayam.

“Why?” asks Lalu.

“Because they are fed up of being beaten and raped and molested, they want to speak out against just making chappatis in your kitchen!”

“But we are shy conservative Yadavs no, we don’t want to hear..!”