New Delhi: With Sonia Gandhi leading the charge in the Lok Sabha, the Congress Wednesday made a strong pitch for a caste census to pave the way for inclusion of quota for other backward classes (OBCs) in the women’s reservation bill, while demanding that the government remove the “obstacles on the path” of its quick implementation. Any further delay, she said, will be an act of “grave injustice” to Indian women.
The Congress’s latest position on reservation for OBCs within the framework of the women’s reservation bill marks a significant shift in its stand from the past. Its refusal to accede to similar demands from parties such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) was behind its inability to get the bill passed by the Lok Sabha — despite the Rajya Sabha clearing it in 2010 — during the tenure of UPA II.
On Wednesday, a day after the Narendra Modi government tabled the bill in the Lok Sabha during the special session of Parliament, it was taken up for debate in the lower house. After brief opening remarks from Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, whose ministry piloted the bill, the floor was thrown open for discussions, Sonia Gandhi spoke as the lead speaker of the Congress.
The Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson said that personally it was a “moving moment” for her as well as for her “life partner”, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who had first moved to amend the Constitution to reserve seats for women in the country’s local bodies.
“But that bill was defeated in the Rajya Sabha by seven votes. Later, it was passed under the Congress government led by Narsimha Rao. As a result, there are 15 lakh elected women representatives in our local bodies today,” Sonia said.
Rajiv’s dream will be fulfilled once reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures becomes a reality, she said. Sonia added that while the Congress party supports the bill brought by the Modi government, it has certain concerns related to the vague implementation date that it proposes, and the lack of provisions for quota for OBC women within its framework.
“The Congress supports the bill. We will be happy with the passage of this bill. But, at the same time, there is a concern. I want to ask a question. Indian women have been waiting to take up political responsibilities for the past 13 years and now they are being asked to wait some more years. But how many years would that be? Two years, four years, six years, eight years? Is this an acceptable attitude towards the women of this country?” Sonia said.
She was essentially referring to the fact that the bill is linked to the completion of the delimitation process, which is to be preceded by the population Census.
“The Congress demands that the bill be implemented as soon as possible but a caste census be carried out alongside it and provisions be made for quotas within the quota for SC, ST and OBC women,” she said, her remarks aligned with the stand taken by many other parties of the INDIA bloc.
‘Any delay will be grave injustice’
Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), president and MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh also supported the bill with the caveat that there should be a sub-quota for backward classes.
“This is the most appropriate time to recognise the efforts of women and any delay will be grave injustice to them. The Congress demands from the government that the bill be implemented as soon as possible by removing all the roadblocks. This is not just necessary but also possible,” Sonia stressed.
In her speech, she also sought to underscore that for women, the personal is often political, as giving them representation in the highest elected bodies of the land would also amount to recognising their efforts at the domestic level.
“She gives birth, she runs families, she runs among men and with great patience, often finds herself losing, but eventually comes out on top. The women of this country hold the calmness of the ocean in their hearts. She never complains about the injustices meted out to her, her actions are never guided to bring benefits for her own,” said Sonia. “Like a river, she works for the betterment of everyone and remains firm like the mighty Himalayas in trying circumstances.”
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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