The bill will be discussed in the House of Representatives today at 11 a.m.
New Delhi:
Congress Parliamentary Party president Sonia Gandhi will chair the party’s debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha today. The government yesterday introduced the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, reserving 33% of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
The Manmohan Singh-led UPA government introduced the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha in 2008, which it passed in 2010. However, the bill never reached the Lok Sabha for consideration. The bill was also one of the key election promises made by the BJP in the run-up to the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday urged members of both houses of Parliament to pass the bill unanimously, claiming it would further strengthen Indian democracy.
“The Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam will further strengthen our democracy. I congratulate mothers, sisters and daughters of the nation on Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam. I assure all the mothers, sisters and daughters of the nation that we are committed to making this bill a law.” PM Modi said
The bill will be discussed in the House of Representatives today at 11 a.m.
The list of speakers who will debate on behalf of the BJP includes Nirmala Sitharaman, Smriti Irani, Bharti Pawar, Aparajit Sarangi, Sunita Duggal and Diya Kumari.
The Opposition has called the bill an ‘election jumla’ and raised questions about the lack of reservations in the OBC and the timeline for its implementation. Congress says the Women’s Reservation Bill will come into effect only after a census and delimitation
The proposed law promises a 33% quota for women in Parliament and state legislatures, but this may not come into effect until 2029, NDTV has learnt.
The women’s quota can only be introduced after the first demarcation or realignment of constituencies after the bill becomes law, which is likely to happen in 2027, as the realignment of constituencies will only take place after the next census.
Today, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is expected to introduce in the Lok Sabha the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Act, 2023, which seeks to amend the Constitution to allow reservations for the advancement of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes. (STs) in government jobs. Mr. Meghwal will also propose the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023, to amend the Advocates Act, 1961.
