Even as the Congress was patting itself on the back for getting the controversial bill tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, its two partners from Bihar forced a reality-check, making it clear that their backing on the bill was limited to its introduction. The two parties, while making common cause with JD(U) and the Samajwadi Party on the subject, look set to derail the government's plans to get the bill passed during the monsoon session of Parliament.

``We've two important suggestions, and we'll try to persuade the standing committee to incorporate them in its final report on the bill,'' LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan told newspersons here on Wednesday afternoon. ``The country's population has gone up three-fold since Independence, the strength of the Lok Sabha's should be increased by a third, which would mean increasing the total number of seats by an additional 181. The new seats should be reserved for women, and even within this category, there should be a quota for minorities, Backwards and SCs/STs,'' the LJP chief said.