New Delhi: The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam or the women’s reservation Bill was passed in Lok Sabha on Wednesday by 454 votes in favour and 2 against.
The Bill, which proposes to reserve a third of seats in the Lower House and state assemblies, has been hanging for decades and will now need the approval of a majority of state legislatures to become law.
The Bill has had a chequered history with a similar version first introduced in 1996. The last action was in 2010 when the Bill passed the Rajya Sabha but was not brought in the Lok Sabha due to objections from several parties. It lapsed as the Lok Sabha was dissolved in 2014.
The present form of the Bill, however, says it will be implemented only after the next Census and the subsequent delimitation exercise, a decision that may push back the law till 2029.
The next Census, which was supposed to take place in 2021, has been postponed indefinitely, while the consequent boundary-drawing exercise may take another two to three years — if not five.
Debating the Bill in Lok Sabha Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured that the Census would take place soon after the 2024 general elections, further highlighting the many women-centric initiatives introduced under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shah also appealed to the House to pass the Bill unanimously. “We have disappointed women four times before. We have to rise above politics today.”
Congress Chairperson Sonia Gandhi opened the seven-hour discussion Wednesday on an emotional note, remembering her “life partner” Rajiv Gandhi, who had for the first time brought the constitutional amendment for participation of women in local bodies.
While that became a reality, reservation for women in state assemblies and Parliament have been contentious. Data shows that women MPs account for only 15 per cent in the Lok Sabha today, while that number is below 10 per cent in many state assemblies.
She demanded the government clear the “obstacles on the Bill’s path”, saying any more delay would be an act of “grave injustice” to Indian women.
Gandhi also made a strong pitch for women from the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes to be included within the overall reservation, following a caste census.
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