New Delhi : An all-party meet is slated for Monday to discuss the anti-rape bill. The UPA government is hopeful of evolving a consensus even as the Bhartiya Janata Party and the Samjwadi party have expressed reservations over certain aspects of the legislation.

The SP is opposed to the bill, particularly the clause on lowering the age for consensual sex from 18 to 16 years. Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh has also written a letter to the PM over the lowering of age.

“We will oppose the bill at the all-party meeting. If it is brought for voting in parliament, the SP will vote against it,” party leader Ram Gopal Yadav had said Friday.

And BJP leader Najma Heptulla had said, “If a person below 18 is a juvenile and is given relaxed punishments because he is not mature enough to know the consequences of what he is doing, how is a child of 16 mature enough to consent to sexual activity?”

However, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supported the government and said the controversial provisions of the bill could be discussed in parliament.

“Our party will support the anti-rape bill being brought by the Central government in any form and shape,” BSP chief Mayawati had told reporters on Friday.

Differences had also emerged within the Cabinet over the proposed bill and it had been referred to GoM headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram. The ministers differed on the use of word ‘rape’ in place of ‘sexual assault’, lowering of age of consent from 18 to 16 years and the definition of voyeurism and stalking, punishable under the bill.

The need for a stronger bill emerged after the brutal gang-rape of a 23-year old girl in a moving bus in the national capital.

The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013, will replace the ordinance promulgated by President Pranab Mukherjee Feb 3.

It has to be passed by April 4, within six weeks from Feb 21, when parliament’s budget session started.