During the Special Parliament Session convened in the new parliament building on Wednesday, the Lok Sabha passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women’s Reservation Bill) 2023. Since 1996, successive governments have introduced the Reservation Bill, but each time it has failed to establish a consensus. This Bill, which secures equal representation for women in the lower house of parliament, marks not only a historic moment but also stands as the first Bill to be tabled in the new parliament building.
The Bill received 454 votes in favor and two votes against it.
Despite the fact that the majority agreed on the necessity of women’s reservation, two sections sparked fierce controversy. One was the “delimitation,” which drew criticism since it would greatly delay the Bill’s implementation. Second, Other Backward Classes (OBC) were excluded from the reservation, which comprised quotas for Schedule Caste (SC) and Schedule Tribe (ST). The following are the highlights of the day’s debate.
Ahead of the debate, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal clearly stated that the Women’s Reservation Bill intended to empower women and urged speakers not to politicise the matter.
Meghwal stated, “This has nothing to do with politics.”
Sonia Gandhi led the debate by demanding immediate implementation of the Bill, adding that to wait for delimitation and census, would be a “gross injustice” to Indian women.
The former Congress chief stated, “The immediate implementation of the women’s reservation bill by removing all obstacles not only necessary but also possible.”
She asserted her support, saying, “I stand here in support of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.” Adding, “Rajiv Gandhi’s dream is only half fulfilled. It will be fulfilled with the passage of this Bill.”
Rebuffing Congress’ attempts to claim credit for the Bill, BJP’s Nishikant Dubey stated that Geeta Mukherjee from West Bengal and BJP’s Sushma Swaraj “have rallied for women’s reservation for a long time.”
“What Modi starts, he finishes. The same will occur with the women’s quota bill,” he added.
Kanimozhi Karunanidhi from the DMK responded to BJP’s claims to credit, by stating, “I thought we would pass this bill with unity, but BJP has made it its own thing.”
Questioning the Centre on how the Bill was drafted, Kanimozhi said, “They said that they have to involve all stakeholders, political parties and then build a consensus before bringing the Bill. I would like to know what consensus was built. What discussions were held. This Bill was shrouded in secrecy. We did not know what this session was called for…”
TMC’s Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar highlighted concerns about the delimitation process, claiming that it would cause the Bill’s implementation to be delayed. She suggested that this change will result in increased representation from states with inadequate population control and low female representation. Dastidar further pointed out that West Bengal was the only state having a female chief minister.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asserted his support for women’s reservation, however, he questioned the lack of OBC inclusion in the document.
“I would have liked to see OBC reservation in this Bill. I think it is very important for a large chunk of India’s population to have this reservation,” he stated.
Rahul Gandhi also questioned the delimitation process and the need for census to implement the process. He said, “Please pass the Bill today, there is no need for census and delimitation. Just hand over the 33 per cent (reservation) to women.”
Speaking on the Bill, the Home Minister stated, “The moment we pass this Bill, 1/3rd of seats in Lok Sabha and all state Assemblies will be reserved for the women of India.”
“Not only will the women get the benefit of the schemes, but they will also get the opportunity to frame those schemes once we pass this Bill,” he added. Stating that all women-led development will happen through this Bill as they will be able to frame policies and benefit from schemes.
The union minister emphasised that opposing the Bill will not help the cause. He stated, “Not supporting the bill will not bring the reservation any faster.” He added he hoped that the Bill would be passed with unanimity.
Source:BS
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