The new Parliament building, on its second day of functioning, made history by passing the long-awaited Women’s Reservation Bill, rebranded as the “Nari Shakti Vandana Adhiniyam”, with an overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present during the voting on the Bill.
Setting the tone of the debate, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi made a strong pitch for bringing OBC women in the ambit of the proposed law and asserting that any delay in bringing the reservation into effect would be “gross injustice” to women.
During the course of the over eight-hour-long debate, many Opposition MPs objected to the Bill, citing a delay in implementing women’s reservation until after the delimitation process. However, the Bill was passed with 454 MPs in support, and only two MPs from AIMIM in opposition.
Intervening in the debate, Home Minister Amit Shah brushed aside apprehensions of a delay in the implementation of the proposed law and asserted that the next government will conduct a census and delimitation exercise soon after the elections, setting in motion the process to make women’s reservation a reality.
The Bill will be tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday and is likely to be passed there as well after a full day of debate, as scheduled. Following its passage in Parliament, the Bill will require consent from half of the total State Assemblies in the country.
Subsequently, the approval of President Draupadi Murmu will transform it into an Act.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed delight at the passage of the Bill and wrote on X: “The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is a historic legislation which will further boost women empowerment and will enable even greater participation of women in our political process.”
The constitutional amendment Bill “Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam”, was introduced in the Lower House on Tuesday. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal presented the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, aiming to reserve 33 per cent of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.
The Bill has been proposed by various governments since 1996, but failed to garner consensus each time. This is not only a historic moment for the Bill, which ensures equal representation of women in the lower house of Parliament, but it is also the inaugural Bill to be tabled and passed in the new Parliament building.
Despite the majority agreeing on the importance of women’s reservation, there was a heated debate over two clauses. Firstly, the issue of “delimitation” raised objections, as it would significantly postpone the implementation of the Bill.
Secondly, the exclusion of OBC from the reservation, which included quota for the SC and the ST, was contentious.
A total of 27 women MPs, spanning across party lines, including Union Minister Smriti Irani and Congress Parliamentary chief Sonia Gandhi, spoke during the Lok Sabha debate. BJP legislators supported it, while Opposition parties also backed it, demanding its immediate implementation. Currently, there are 82 women MPs in the Lok Sabha, out of a total strength of 543.