New Delhi, September 22 – Following the passage of the women’s reservation bill in Parliament, the Congress launched a scathing critique of the BJP, asserting that the postponement of the women’s quota citing delimitation and census was a flimsy pretext. They alleged that the BJP’s intentions were primarily to use the issue as a political tool without actual implementation.
The bill, which mandates the reservation of one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, received unanimous approval from the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
In a statement posted on X, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh disclosed, “The Congress Party submitted amendments to the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha last night. These amendments aimed to ensure the implementation of the reservation starting from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.”
Ramesh emphasized that the proposed amendments also sought to extend the reservation to women from the Other Backward Classes (OBC), in addition to those from Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). However, both amendments were ultimately rejected.
“The BJP’s true intentions have been laid bare. Delimitation and Census are being used as weak excuses for the delay,” asserted the Congress leader.
He further remarked, “The entire exercise appears to have been orchestrated to create an election issue, primarily to benefit a fatigued and fading Prime Minister, rather than genuinely implementing the reform.”
Unlike the Lok Sabha, where only two out of 456 MPs present voted against the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, all 214 lawmakers present in the Rajya Sabha supported it.
The bill, which calls for a 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, will only be enforced following the completion of the census and delimitation processes.
