Women’S Reservation: ‘Regret 100%’ that UPA’s proposed women’s reservation bill did not have OBC quota: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday called for the immediate implementation of the women’s reservation bill and expressed “100% regret” that the proposed legislation during the UPA government did not include reservation for OBCs.
The former Congress president also demanded that the Centre carry out a caste census and make public its findings along with that of the previous caste census conducted during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule.

Noting that the government’s intention behind bringing the bill was political, he said it will not be implemented in the next 10 years as it has been linked to the population census and the delimitation exercise.

The bill was meant for diverting attention from the growing call for a caste census, he said.
He also alleged that the BJP MPs have no role in decision-making and they are like mere “moortis” (idols) in a temple without any power given to them.

“The truth is that this bill will be implemented in 10 years from now, if it is implemented at all,” he claimed at a press conference at the party headquarters, a day after Parliament approved the legislation to reserve a third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women.

Gandhi said that while he favoured the bill, he sought more reservation for women from backward classes and other sections as per their population ratios.
Asked if he regretted that the erstwhile UPA government did not give OBC quota in its women’s reservation bill that was passed by Rajya Sabha in 2010, Gandhi said, “There is 100% regret. We should have done that back then and we will get this done now.”
The women’s reservation bill is a good thing, but two “footnotes” of census and delimitation have been attached to it which will take many years to give this reservation to women, he said.

“Share on basis of population – this is the right of our OBC brothers and sisters! Release the caste census data now, do the new census on the basis of caste. Implement women’s reservation now, not after 10 years,” Gandhi later posted on X in Hindi.
The Congress said delimitation and census were “poor excuses” for postponement of the bill’s implementation and alleged that the entire exercise was to create an election issue, without actually implementing it. The opposition party also dubbed the bill a “teasing illusion”.
(With inputs from agencies)