- The bill also proposed sub-reservation for SCs, STs, and Anglo-Indians within the 33 per cent quota
- This could have very well been discussed in the all-party meeting before the Special Session, and consensus could have been built instead of operating under a veil of secrecy: Congress
- All parties welcome the move
NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, SEPT 18
The Union Cabinet on Monday cleared the women’s reservation bill in a key meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announced Union minister Prahlad Patel. There was a strong buzz over the Cabinet move but the government skipped the customary press briefing post the Cabinet meeting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led cabinet on Monday approved 33 per cent reservation for women in the Parliament. One-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will be reserved for women candidates. The reserved seats will be rotated after each general election, the bill proposes. The bill also proposed sub-reservation for SCs, STs, and Anglo-Indians within the 33 per cent quota.
The decision was taken in the 90 minute long union cabinet meeting, which was chaired by the Prime Minister with top ministers earlier on Monday evening.
At present, the Lok Sabha has a total of 542 Members out of which 78 are Female Members. While Rajya Sabha has a total of 224 Members out of which 24 are Female Members. Notably several political parties had pitched for the passage of the women’s reservation bill during the session. The women’s reservation bill has been pending for nearly 27 years.
“Only the Modi government had the moral courage to fulfil the demand for women’s reservation which was proved by the approval of the cabinet. Congratulations Narendra Modi ji and congratulations to the Modi government,” the minister said on X (formally Twitter). Patel is the minister of state for food processing industries and Jal Shakti.
Former Deputy CM of Jammu & Kashmir and BJP leader Kavinder Gupta issued his response to the government’s decision and hailed PM Modi’s vision. He said, “This is a step to ensure justice by 33% reservation and is a step towards women’s empowerment. PM Modi said that the decision will take people in the right direction. PM’s vision is an example and coming time is a good time for women”.
Priya Sethi, former member of J&K legislative council thanked the Central leadership. “We are thankful to PM for this decision of 33% for women. Women will be lawmakers of the country. By this gift of PM, women will be empowered. Women will make their own laws in parliament,” she added.
It’s been a long-standing demand of the Congress party to implement women’s reservation. We welcome the reported decision of the Union Cabinet and await the details of the Bill. This could have very well been discussed in the all-party meeting before the Special Session, and… https://t.co/lVI9RLHVY6
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 18, 2023
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh welcomed the government’s decision on women’s reservations. Taking to X he posted, “It’s been a long-standing demand of the Congress party to implement women’s reservation. We welcome the reported decision of the Union Cabinet and await the details of the Bill. This could have very well been discussed in the all-party meeting before the Special Session, and consensus could have been built instead of operating under a veil of secrecy”.
NCP leader Supriya Sule said, “I would like to set the record straight…the first woman president of India, Pratibha Patil, was from the Congress, the first woman PM of the country, Indira Gandhi, was from the Congress, the first woman speaker, Meira Kumar, was from the Congress.” “I would like to put one more thing on record which Rakesh Singh seems to have missed out, the Women’s Reservation Bill was brought by the Congress, unfortunately we did not have the numbers and we could not get it passed,” she said.
Sule also hailed former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and former Maharashtra chief minister and her father Sharad Pawar for bringing in 33 per cent reservation for women in every panchayat.
The first day of the five-day special session of Parliament commenced in the Old Building on Monday. The parliamentary proceedings will shift from the old to the adjacent new state-of-the-art building on September 19.
