Women’S Quota Bill: Women’s reservation bill could be passed easily as Congress, key INDIA parties back it | India News

NEW DELHI: Congress on Monday welcomed the move and claimed credit for the landmark legislation. However, the party noted that it will wait to see the details of the provisions made in the bill, before announcing a final decision. The bill, if introduced, seems set for a smooth sail as many member parties of the opposition INDIA bloc have advocated for its passage in the special session.
Congress welcomes women’s quota bill, claims credit
With the Union cabinet said to have cleared the women’s reservation bill to be introduced in Parliament in the special session, Congress on Monday welcomed the move and claimed credit for the landmark legislation. However, the party noted that it will wait to see the details before announcing a final decision.
The bill, if introduced, seems set for a smooth sail as many parties of opposition alliance ‘INDIA’ have advocated for its passage.
Regional parties like NCP, TMC, BJD, TDP and BRS, present in the all-party meeting on Sunday, expressed their stand on advancing the bill, highlighting its significance for gender equality and empowerment. They urged the government to create history by passing it on the important occasion of shifting the proceedings of Parliament to the new building.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said the legislation is the brainchild of Congress and UPA, which had introduced 50% quota for women in local bodies.
AICC spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said, “It’s been a long-standing demand of the party to implement women’s reservation. This could have very well been discussed in the all-party meeting, and consensus could have been built, instead of operating under a veil of secrecy.”
Sule defends Congress: ‘They brought Bill’
NCP leader Supriya Sule defended Congress in Lok Sabha after BJP criticised the party over the women’s reservation bill issue, saying the first woman Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Pratibha Patil were from Congress and the legislation was also brought by it. Sule urged the PM to bring the bill and assured that her party would support it. Responding to BJP MP Rakesh Singh’s remarks asking what Congress had done about ensuring reservation for women despite being in power for decades, Sule said, “ … The women’s reservation bill was brought by Congress, unfortunately we did not have the numbers and we could not get it passed.”