The Congress has welcomed the Union Cabinet’s move to pass the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill to be tabled in a special session of Parliament. The Constitution Amendment Bill, once passed, will ensure reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies.
Rahul Gandhi’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving ‘unconditional support’ to the passage of the bill providing legislative reservation for women is now going viral.
”Our Prime Minister says he is a champion of women empowerment. If they are to live up to their word then the time has come to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament. Congress will extend its unconditional support to him,” Congress MP Jairam Ramesh shared a letter written by Rahul Gandhi in 2018.
“Several attempts have been made since 1996 to legislate for legislative reservation for women, but have failed. In 2010, the UPA government succeeded in getting the bill passed in the Rajya Sabha, but failed to introduce it in the Lok Sabha due to some pressure from allies.”
In his letter, Rahul Gandhi pointed out how the BJP had earlier supported the bill and Union Minister Arun Jaitley called it ‘historic and significant’.
It is being said that the new bill is not similar to the 2010 bill and the scope of reservation is likely to extend beyond Parliament and state assemblies. The previous bill did not mention the provision of quota within the quota, a key demand of many regional parties.
Before the Parliament session, the opposition leaders demanded reservation for women. Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge highlighted the gender ratio of elected representatives. He said women constitute only 14% in Parliament, while their number in state assemblies is only 10%.
The bill is likely to witness a smooth passage this time with the support of the NDA, its supporters BJD and the main opposition parties, with 431 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 175 in the Rajya Sabha.
