Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday expressed happiness over Congress president Naveen Patnaik support to his move of seeking cooperation from all Chief Ministers for ensuring a 33-per cent reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies.
Patnaik also hoped that other parties would support his proposal. “I am glad he (Rahul Gandhi) has done that. I hope other parties do as well,” Patnaik told reporters here.
Patnaik had on December 6 written to Chief Ministers of all States seeking their cooperation to ensure 33% reservation for women. On the very day, Rahul Gandhi wrote to Congress and its alliance Governments in the States to have a resolution passed in their respective Assemblies seeking one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. The Odisha Assembly has already adopted a unanimous resolution in this regard.
Patnaik had earlier on December 4 written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to initiate a move to ensure one-third reservation for women. The BJD is now seeking support of regional and national parties for such reservation for women.
Notably, the Women’s Reservation Bill, which proposed to amend the Constitution to reserve 33% of all seats in the Lok Sabha and in all State Legislative Assemblies for women, was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 but lapsed after the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.