New Delhi: The first Bill to be tabled in the new Parliament building as it began business Tuesday was the much-awaited Women’s Reservation Bill, that seeks a 33 per cent quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.
The Bill was brought in the Lok Sabha by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
In his first speech in the new Parliament Tuesday afternoon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Bill, now renamed the “Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam”.
“There are some such moments which come in a lifetime… Today is an important day in history. It is a moment of pride for us… Reservation for women has been discussed and debated before, it was first tabled in 1996. It was tabled several times under Atal Behari Vajpayee, but it could not muster the numbers,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister said he had been chosen by God to accord “women their rights and to harness their true power”. “We approved this Bill in the Cabinet yesterday. The day 19 September will be remembered in history because of this Bill,” he added.
Modi spoke about the “big strides” women have made in all sectors, where they have been leading. “It is necessary that our mothers, sisters and our ‘nari shakti’ participate in policy-making, contribute to it and play an important role. It is fitting that this Bill is the first in the new Parliament to usher in a new era, to open new doors,” the Prime Minister said.
#WATCH | Special Session of Parliament | PM Narendra Modi speaks on Women's Reservation Bill — Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam
"Discussion on Women's Reservation Bill happened for a long time. During Atal Bihari Vajpayee's regime Women's Reservation Bill was introduced several… pic.twitter.com/bPTniQvhZr
— ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2023
The Union Cabinet on Monday evening approved the Bill’s introduction in the Lower House during this five-day special session.
The Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010 – under the Congress-led UPA government – amid a ruckus with marshals escorting out several MPs who opposed the reservation. Not taken up in the Lok Sabha at that time, the Bill lapsed as the Lower House was dissolved in 2014.
The brainchild of the Congress, the Bill has also been supported by the BJP. However, the demand from other parties for a quota for backward classes within the women’s share has been a key sticking point.
Women MPs account for less than 15 per cent of the Lok Sabha, while their representation is below 10 per cent in many state Assemblies. In the present Lok Sabha, 78 women members were elected in the 543-seat House.
In Rajya Sabha too, women’s representation is about 14 per cent, according to data shared by the government with Parliament last December.
2010 was the last failed attempt on the Bill, which has had a chequered history as a similar Bill was introduced in 1996, 1998 and 1999.
There has been, however, a renewed push to pass the Bill in the ongoing special session of Parliament where Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised “historic decisions”.