New Delhi, April 21
The Congress on Tuesday accused the Modi government of delaying the implementation of women’s reservation in legislatures, alleging that it has “slept” on the demand and attempted to postpone it by linking the issue to delimitation.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh cited earlier communications from Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both of which urged the immediate passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill. He said the Congress has consistently supported the legislation, while alleging that the ruling party has not maintained the same position over time.
Ramesh referred to a 2017 letter written by Sonia Gandhi in her capacity as Congress president, in which she urged the Prime Minister to ensure the bill’s passage in the Lok Sabha. He also highlighted Rahul Gandhi’s 2018 letter to the Prime Minister, in which he called for its implementation in the upcoming parliamentary session.
He said the bill has remained stalled in the Lok Sabha for years and argued that further delay undermines the objective of increasing women’s representation in legislatures.
The Congress has maintained that the reservation for women should be implemented without linking it to other processes and has demanded that the government introduce necessary measures in Parliament without further delay.
The remarks come in the backdrop of the recent defeat of the government’s proposed constitutional amendment to operationalize women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha, which failed to secure the required two-thirds majority.
The opposition party has also reiterated its demand for the immediate implementation of the women’s quota based on the existing strength of Parliament, either in the upcoming session or by the end of May.
