New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a last-minute appeal to all MPs in the Parliament to support the Women’s Reservation Bill. He said “crores of women across India are watching.” He urged the lawmakers to come together to “create history”.
The Congress-led Opposition, particularly parties from southern India, has alleged that a flawed and biased delimitation law is being pushed through the women’s quota. They have alleged it was being used as a “smokescreen.”
But PM Modi, hours before the voting, in a social media post wrote: “Even after so many decades of independence, it is not right that women in India have such limited representation in this area.”
He appealed to all political parties to support the amendment with sensitivity and avoid actions that could harm the sentiments of women.
Replying during the special Parliament session debating the Women’s Reservation Bill and linked constitutional amendments, Modi had earlier described the proposals as a historic opportunity to expand women’s participation in politics and reshape India’s democratic framework.
“An attempt to change the electoral map of India’
But, Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi slammed the PM and criticised the bill.
Rahul Gandhi said BJP knew very clearly that this Bill actually couldn’t be passed. “They are not stupid and knew every Opposition person will oppose. This was a panic reaction. Prime Minister wanted to send two messages: he wanted to change the electoral map and wanted to send another message that he is pro-women…Why he’s doing that? I will leave to your imagination. We know exactly why he is doing it,” he asserted.
Claiming that the bill has “nothing to do” with women empowerment, Rahul Gandhi said that it was an attempt to change the electoral map of India.
‘Promoting north-south divide’
“It is in the name of women’s right, the govt is promoting discrimination among States. By discrimination you want to promote North-South divide. By this divide you want to have perpetual rule in center. By perpetual power you want to establish theocratic state, by theocratic state you want to impose one language, one culture. We will not permit your dream turn into reality. In Tamil Nadu we will oppose it,” said A. Raja, DMK MP.
‘We reached Parl without reservation’
SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said, “We don’t support Delimitation Bill.” She said that democracy requires equal representation to all, but whenever there is an election, BJP remembers women. She added that her party supports women reservation but alleged that the govt was shifting goal post. “We reached Parliament without reservation,” she added.
‘Will support women reservation but should not be based on convenience’
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said the party would support women reservation, but he demanded that it has to be implemented on the present capacity of the Parliament. He said that there was no need to link delimitation with it. He said women reservation should not be based on convenience, rather it should be constitutional.
