PM Modi claims that the MPs’ unity will instill confidence in the populace. The opposition raises concerns about the Bill’s postponement and implementation.
On Thursday, the Rajya Sabha unanimously passed the Women’s Reservation Bill, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming that the unanimity will instill confidence in the public.
The Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, and its six sections were approved by all 214 MPs present in the Upper House. “A historic achievement,” Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar stated after the Bill was passed. The lawmakers greeted the announcement of the Bill’s passage by pounding on their desks.
Revisions proposed by several Opposition members to the stipulation that the law shall take effect only after a census and delimitation exercise were defeated in a voice vote since no member wanted a ‘division’ on the revisions.
The Bill had been passed by the Lok Sabha the day before, on Wednesday.
A total of 72 speakers took part in the debate, which was peppered with poetry and couplets. The debate was moderated by a series of female moderators who took turns in the Chair. The main concerns highlighted by the opposition were the delay in bringing the Bill to the floor and the lack of a specific reservation for Other Backward Class (OBC) women within the 33% reserve. The Treasury benches responded to these points by citing Modi administration policies that support women.
The House adjourned sine die after passing the Bill.
This is hardly a generous act.
Opposition MPs lambasted the BJP for portraying the Bill as an act of the Prime Minister’s charity towards women, in contrast to governing party speakers who credited PM Modi only for presenting the legislation. They also objected to the Bill’s title, Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. “You’ve titled the Bill as if it were a miraculous gift. It is not a supernatural blessing; it is our constitutional right,” said Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan, who introduced the Opposition. She also chastised the government, claiming that while it is currently demonstrating exceptional dedication to women, it was deafeningly silent when women were paraded naked in Manipur and women wrestlers sat in protest at Jantar Mantar.
She accused the administration of failing to invite President Droupadi Murmu to the opening function of the new Parliament, a complaint that was reiterated by several Opposition speakers.
Members of the BJP retaliated by detailing the Centre’s initiatives for women, including the Ujjwala scheme. Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister, stated that the gender ratio has improved and that the Centre has opened the doors to women in Army schools.
What’s the hold-up?
“Why did it take the government nine and a half years to bring this legislation, and why is the government pushing its implementation date to 2029?” were prominent questions made by opposition speakers. Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition, stated that when the Centre is capable of making fast decisions like demonetization, a nine-and-a-half-year delay in passing a Bill backed by all parties was untenable. “This is the correct time,” said Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in response, and Ms. Sitharaman stated the Bill was carefully written. Mahesh Jethmalani, a BJP MP and lawyer, believes the Bill will pass the Supreme Court’s legal scrutiny.
INDIA Bonhomie
INDIA Dola Sen, a Bonhomie Trinamool Congress MP, praised the Congress government in Karnataka and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) governments in Punjab and Delhi for pro-women policies in her multilingual address in which she shifted between Hindi, English, and Bangla. AAP MP Sandeep Pathak also praised the previous Congress government’s efforts to pass the Act. The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) MPs also urged that the Centre revise the Bill to include a provision for OBC women MPs to be reserved under the 33% reservation, a stance that was supported by non-INDIA bloc parties like the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
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Schemes are showcased by regional parties.
Regional parties utilized the debate to discuss women’s participation in their party platforms as well as pro-women policies implemented by their respective governments. Ms. Sen claimed that the Union government should learn from Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rather than using hollow platitudes like calling women “devi” (divine). A YSRCP leader spent minutes documenting the ratio of women in his party at various levels.
