Bhopal, Apr 21 (PTI) A special one-day session of the Madhya Pradesh assembly will be convened on April 27 to discuss issues of women’s holistic development and their empowerment, days after a bill to implement women’s reservation in legislatures was defeated in the Lok Sabha.
Opposition Congress on Tuesday said it supports the issue of women’s rights, but asked the BJP-led state government why it does not hold special sessions on other serious matters like death of children due to after consumption of cough syrup, people losing lives due to contaminated water.
A notification about the special session issued on Tuesday said the House will discuss ‘Nari Shakti Vandan – Holistic Development and Empowerment of Women’.
A Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats was defeated in the Lower House on April 17. While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of the 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
On Monday, MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav hit out at the Congress for not supporting the bill in the Lok Sabha, and announced that a special session of the state assembly will be called to discuss the matter.
Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Umang Singhar, questioned the government over convening the special session, saying that whenever a “political opportunity” arises in the name of “women’s power”, a special session is immediately called.
“The Congress party’s stand on the issue of women’s rights and representation has always been clear, consistent, and strong. The party’s top leadership has already made it clear that women should be given reservation in the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats, and the entire Congress party supports it,” he said.
In Madhya Pradesh, innocent children die in incidents like consumption of cough syrup. Dozens of people lose their lives due to contaminated water. Even the safety of newborns in hospitals is not ensured, the rights of the OBC community are discriminated against, and the tribal community constantly struggles for its rights, Singhar said.
“The government never feels the need to call a special session on these serious and sensitive issues,” he added. PTI MAS NP
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