Sonia Gandhi, the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, is set to be the primary spokesperson for the party during the parliamentary debate on the “Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam,” commonly known as the women’s reservation bill, in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. This important bill, which seeks to allocate one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, was presented during the first session of the Lok Sabha in the newly inaugurated Parliament building. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the bill on Tuesday.
While presenting the amendment, Minister Meghawal explained that the enactment of this law would significantly increase the number of women members in the 543-seat Lok Sabha, raising the count from the current 82 to 181. The bill also proposes a one-third quota for women within the seats already reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
The bill outlines that the reservation of “as nearly as may be, one-third of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election” will be implemented following a delimitation exercise and will be in effect for 15 years. Additionally, seats reserved for women will be subject to rotation after each subsequent delimitation exercise.
The “Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023” was presented for introduction in the Lower House through a supplementary list of business.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed strong support for the women’s reservation bill, emphasizing his government’s commitment to making it law. He urged Members of Parliament from both houses to pass the bill unanimously, highlighting its importance in expanding women’s participation in parliament and state assemblies.
However, the Congress party voiced skepticism about the bill, referring to it as an “election jhumla” (a poll promise) and a “huge betrayal of hopes of women.” The party pointed out that the bill’s implementation was contingent on the completion of the 2021 Census, which is yet to occur. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh questioned whether the Census and delimitation would be completed before the 2024 elections.
KC Venugopal, another prominent Congress leader, drew a comparison between the NDA’s women’s reservation bill and the UPA’s version, noting that the latter immediately granted women 33 percent reservation, whereas the NDA’s bill would take effect only after the Census and delimitation process.
The five-day special session of Parliament, called by the government last month, is set to conclude on Friday. The unexpected decision to convene this session took the opposition by surprise and has brought critical legislative matters, including the women’s reservation bill, to the forefront of parliamentary discussions.
Sources By Agencies
