During a parliamentary debate centered on the women’s reservation bill, Sonia Gandhi, a prominent leader of the Congress party, expressed her unwavering support for the initiative. She emphasized the indomitable patience and determination of women, asserting that the immediate implementation of the women’s reservation bill, with all obstructions removed, is not only imperative but also entirely feasible. In her words, “Any delay in implementing the women’s reservation bill will be gross injustice to Indian women.”
Furthermore, Sonia Gandhi advocated for the inclusion of a sub-quota for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) within the women’s quota bill, underscoring the Congress party’s stance on this matter.
On the same day, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal presented the women’s reservation bill for consideration and approval in the Lok Sabha, positioning it as a significant step towards women’s empowerment. He expressed hope for unanimity in passing the bill and recalled that previous attempts to do so during the UPA government’s tenure had failed, attributing this failure to the dissolution of the Lok Sabha at the time. He suggested that the UPA government’s priorities might have been influenced by a desire to remain in power rather than prioritizing the bill.
The government’s move to introduce a constitutional amendment bill aimed at reserving one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women marked a revival of the long-pending women’s reservation concept, which had faced challenges due to a lack of consensus among political parties for 27 years. The bill, known as the ‘Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam,’ was introduced in the Lower House, marking a significant milestone as the first bill to be presented in the new Parliament building.
This proposed constitutional amendment bill seeks to provide a 33 percent reservation for women in both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, with the actual implementation contingent upon the completion of the delimitation exercise. This legislative effort represents a pivotal moment in India’s quest for gender equality in politics.
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