Indian Parliament Building in New Delhi

NEW DELHI: Socialist lawmakers forced India’s parliament to adjourn twice Tuesday as they tried for a second day to block passage of a historic bill to increase the number of female lawmakers across the country.

On Monday, angry legislators in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, rushed to the chairman’s seat as he presided over the session, tore up copies of the bill and tried to grab his microphone.

The house suspended seven lawmakers on Tuesday because of their behavior the day before, but they refused to leave the chamber, again stalling debate on the proposal and forcing parliament to adjourn twice.

The bill to reserve one-third of legislative seats for women has faced strong opposition since it was first proposed more than a decade ago, with many political leaders worried that their male-dominated parties would lose seats.

The proposal is an attempt to correct some of the historical gender disparities in India, where women receive less education than men and are weighed down by illiteracy, poverty and low social status.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, the leader of a socialist group, said Tuesday a portion of the women’s quota should be set aside for minorities and lower castes, which have been socially and economically disadvantaged as well.

However, the main opposition parties, including right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party and communist groups, already have announced their support for the legislation proposed by the ruling Congress Party.

The bill would raise the number of female lawmakers in the 545-seat lower house to 181 from the current 59. It would nearly quadruple the number of women in the 250-seat upper house. The bill would also apply to state legislatures.