New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to all political parties to come together and extend their support to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the Opposition said on Saturday that it is “ready to extend support if it is not linked with the Delimitation Bill”.
PM Modi made the appeal while urging for greater women’s participation in politics, during his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
Speaking to IANS, Communist Party of India MP P. Sandosh Kumar said: “We are supporting women’s reservation. We are ready to cooperate with the government. We had provided all possible help to the Narendra Modi government to pass that legislation. But this unwanted linking with delimitation has changed the scenario. Now, if he (PM Modi) is serious, make it possible as early as possible, give 181 seats to women.”
Congress MP Manish Tewari told IANS that it was the Congress which had initiated reservation for women in Legislatures.
“We have been saying that Lok Sabha has 543 seats, one third of which should be reserved for women. However, attempts to mislead this reservation should not be made by linking it with delimitation,” Tewari said.
Referring to the 2023 passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill, the Congress MP said: “We only need to ensure whether it (Women’s Reservation Bill) will be implemented in 2029 or the Centre wants to link it to Delimitation.”
Echoing Tewari’s view on the matter, Congress leader Udit Raj said: “The Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in 2023, but its notification was not issued. This time, when Delimitation and women’s reservation were clubbed together and presented in the last Parliament session, the Bill fell through (during Budget session in April).”
“Then, that same evening, after three years, they (Centre) remembered that the notification had not been issued. They do not want to give reservation to women. In 2023, Congress passed it unanimously and also said that women should be given reservation in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections itself, but that was not done,” he added.
Meanwhile, the NDA backed PM Modi’s appeal while accusing the Opposition of “blocking” the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Talking to IANS, Bihar BJP President Sanjay Saraogi added: “The Prime Minister’s vision is that women should get 33 per cent reservation in the Legislature, including the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, as they have an equal right to make laws. He had also introduced the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill, but it could not be passed due to the Opposition’s negative attitude.”
BJP National Spokesperson R.P. Singh called the Prime Minister’s speech as “very comprehensive”.
“He (PM Modi) spoke about women and how the Opposition is blocking women’s reservation. We want women to get reservation,” he told IANS.
JD-U Spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said: “Members of various political parties are present in Parliament, and all-party meetings are held, yet a consensus could not be reached. Therefore, the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) raised this issue before the people’s court from the ramparts of the Red Fort that the government is ready but all the other political parties should also extend support (for women’s reservation).”
–IANS
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