Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel also posted on X confirming the Cabinet nod to the Women’s Reservation Bill. However, after few minutes, he deleted the post…reports Asian Lite News
The Union Cabinet on Monday reportedly approved the Women’s Reservation Bill. Though the government has not issued any official statement regarding it, the BJP Mahila Morcha has expressed gratitude over the development.
Taking to microblogging site X, the BJP Mahila Morcha said: “Cabinet approves Women’s Reservation Bill. The NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji creates history. We at BJP Mahila Morcha express our gratitude.”
Ealier, Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel also posted on X confirming the Cabinet nod to the Women’s Reservation Bill. However, after few minutes, he deleted the post.
In the now deleted post, Patel had said: “Only Modi government had the guts to fulfill the promise of passing Women’s Reservation Bill. Which was proved with the approval of the cabinet. Congratulations Narendra Modi ji and congratulations to Modi government.”
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi while addressing the media outside the Parliament House before the commencement of the Special Session on Monday said that “this session of Parliament might be a short one, but it holds great importance in terms of historical decisions”.
This triggered speculations that the Women’s Reservation Bill that seeks to reserve one-third of the seats in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for women members would be tabled in the Parliament during the ongoing session, which will be held in the new building of Parliament from September 19.
BJP MP Mahesh Jethmalani took to X and said: “Prime Minister Modi’s Cabinet has struck a massive blow in favour of women’s empowerment by approving the Women’s Reservation Bill providing for 1/3 representation for women in Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies.”
The Rajya Sabha MP said: “The Bill first tabled in Parliament in 1996 has gathered dust ever since. Successive governments since 1996 failed to gather the resolve to press for the Bill to be enacted into law.”
“The Bill was on the anvil in my opinion ever since the Prime Minister pitched for Nari Shakti in his 2022 Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Thereafter the Prime Minister has repeatedly asserted the theme of Nari Shakti -most recently in Bengaluru after the successful launch of Chandrayaan 3 when he said Nari Shakti was the ‘pinnacle of life and catalyst of change’. Every party has paid mere lip service to gender justice but in truth ‘Modi hai to Mumkin hai’,” he added.
It’s ours, says Sonia Gandhi
“What about it? It’s ours. Apna hain,” Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said on Tuesday. Her response to mediapersons while entering the Parliament for a historic joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as both houses convene their first session in the newly inaugurated Parliament building.
According to sources, the Union Cabinet on Monday cleared the Women’s Reservation Bill, which seeks to reserve 33 per cent quota in Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.
According to official sources, the Union Cabinet Monday cleared the Women’s Reservation Bill (WRB) in a key meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said today, “We want the Women’s Reservation Bill to be brought and passed as soon as possible. The demand for the Women’s Reservation Bill was initiated by UPA and our leader Sonia Gandhi. It took so long, but we will be happy if this is introduced.”
Earlier on Monday, the Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh said that the party has been demanding the implementation of the Constitution 108th Amendment Bill, 2008 bill for a long time.
“The Congress party has been demanding the implementation of women’s reservation for a long time. We welcome the Union Cabinet decision reportedly coming forward and look forward to the details of the Bill,” he said in a post on X.
He further added that this could have been thoroughly discussed in the all-party meeting before the special session and a consensus could have been reached instead of behind-the-scenes politics.
The allocation of reserved seats shall be determined by such authority as prescribed by Parliament.
One-third of the total number of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes shall be reserved for women of those groups in the Lok Sabha and the legislative assemblies. Reservation of seats for women shall cease to exist 15 years after the commencement of this Amendment Act.
In 2010 Rajya Sabha had passed the bill but bill lapsed as it could not be passed by Lok Sabha.
Bill was initiated by UPA, says Chowdhury
After the Cabinet approved the Women Reservation Bill, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has said that demand for the Women Reservation Bill was initiated by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and Sonia Gandhi.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told ANI “We want the Women’s Reservation Bill to be brought and passed as soon as possible. The demand for the Women’s Reservation Bill was initiated by UPA and our leader Sonia Gandhi. It took so long, but we will be happy if this is introduced.”
Union Cabinet on Monday cleared the Women’s Reservation Bill, sources said on Monday.
The meeting of the Union Cabinet was held at Parliament House Annexe in Delhi.
Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan has said that the BJP only remembered the Women Reservation Bill just before the elections.
“See, this is Congress’s bill. We introduced it on March 9, 2010. BJP has been in power for more than 9 years, why did you remember the women reservation bill just before the elections? If this bill comes on the table today, we will welcome it because everybody agrees that the participation of women in the House and the Legislative Assembly should increase,” Ranjeet Ranjan told ANI.
The Women’s Reservation Bill seeks to reserve 33 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women. Despite being a crucial step towards gender parity and inclusive governance, the Bill has remained in legislative limbo for far too long.
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