Sonia Gandhi supports Women's Reservation Bill, demands caste census
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday said that the Congress party would support the reservation for women in Parliament and the state assemblies. However, she demanded that the bill be implemented immediately and a caste-based census be conducted in the country. The Women's Reservation Bill seeks to reserve 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha, state legislatures, and the Delhi legislative assembly for women.
What did Gandhi exactly say
Addressing the Lower House on the bill, Gandhi said, "How many years will they wait? Two years? Four years? Six years? Eight years? Is this right?" "The Congress demands that this bill be implemented immediately but there should be a caste census and the women of Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), OBC (Other Backward Class) communities must be given reservation too," she added.
Gandhi attributes credit to Rajiv Gandhi for women's reservation
Gandhi also gave credit to the Congress for bringing the women's reservation issue to the forefront. "For the first time...Constitutional amendment to decide women's representation in local body election was brought by my life partner Rajiv Gandhi. It was defeated in Rajya Sabha by seven votes," she added. Later, the Congress government, under then-PM PV Narasimha Rao, passed it in the Rajya Sabha.
Congress using Bill as 'lollipop': BJP MP Nishikant Dubey
Responding to Gandhi's demand for a caste-based census and questions on a delay of the decennial Census, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey said, "In 2020 and 2021, we were dealing with COVID-19. How could a census have been done?" He also slammed the Congress, saying that it used the Women's Reservation Bill as a "lollipop."
DMK's Kanimozhi accuses BJP of doing politics
Meanwhile, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi said the BJP used this opportunity for politics. "The bill was brought shrouded in secrecy, opposition parties were not informed before the session," she said. "This is not a bill but an act to remove discrimination," she said. Earlier, the BJP MPs created an uproar before Kanimozhi began speaking, accusing the party of heckling.
TMC lawmaker praises West Bengal government for prioritizing women
Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker Kakoli Ghosh, on the other hand, while praising its government in West Bengal, said the state assembly had more women than any other state in the country. She alleged that the NREGA women workers were not receiving wages and that women researchers at IIT Kharagpur and the Indian Space Research Organisation were similarly treated, calling it an insult to women.
'It's ours': Gandhi on Women's Reservation Bill
On Tuesday, Gandhi spoke to the media about the Women's Reservation Bill at the new Parliament media In reply to a query, she said, "It's ours, apna hai," attributing credit to Congress for the bill. Notably, the previous government under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) introduced the bill in the Rajya Sabha in 2010. However, it wasn't tabled in the Lok Sabha.
Women's quota unlikely before 2029: Reports
The bill, introduced in the supplementary list of business, proposes a 33% reservation for women for a period of 15 years. It also includes quotas for SCs and STs within the reserved seats for women, and the seats will be allotted on rotation. However, reports say the quota is unlikely to be implemented until 2029, after the decennial Census and the delimitation of constituencies.
