Rahul Jumps On ‘Women’s Quota Bill’ Bandwagon, Gets Thumbs Up From Naveen

Bhubaneswar: Days after BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to all chief ministers seeking their support to pass a Bill for 33 per cent reservation for women in state assemblies and Parliament, Congress president Rahul Gandhi followed suit.

Rahul has written to state governments, where Congress is in power either on its own, or as an alliance partner, asking them to pass a resolution urging the Centre to pass the women’s reservation bill at the earliest.

Talking to mediapersons here on Monday, Naveen said, “I am glad he has done that and I hope other parties do it as well.”

In a letter to Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Rahul wrote, “In order to affirm our support to the passage of the bill, it would be expedient for the state assembly to pass a resolution calling for the reservation of one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and legislative assembly for women, in the next session.”

With India heading for 2019 general elections, women’s quota bill seems to have become a poll plank for the opposition parties.

During the winter session of the Odisha Assembly on November 20, the Chief Minister had appealed to members to unanimously adopt a resolution for 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative assemblies and Parliament.

The BJD president also convened a meeting with the party MPs at Naveen Niwas here on December 6 to discuss to issue. It was decided that a delegation of BJD leaders will meet the leaders of seven national parties and 15 regional parties and discuss the proposal.

Naveen had also written to the chief ministers of all states and Union Territories for their support to place a bill to this effect during the winter session of Parliament.

It will be one among the several issues that the regional party plan to raise during the last full session of Parliament under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.