SHARAD YADAV
Described by some as "the great socialist bore", he took on prime minister I.K.Gujral's pro-women "western liberalism" in Parliament and ground it to pulp. And he was proud of it. Result: the women's reservation bill still hangs fire and the United Front government in general and Gujral in particular lost their moment in history. To add insult to injury, he targeted women supporters of the bill, describing them as parkatis , a derogatory reference to women with short hair. Howls of protest—some from within his own family—left him unmoved. More recently, an unrepentant Sharad told the NCW: " Mahila vote bhi koi cheez hai? You must be joking." The other Yadavs in Parliament, Mulayam and Ram Kirpal, of the SP and RJD respectively, are not much better.