NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday sought immediate implementation of the 2023 law passed by Parliament to ensure 33% quota for women on the current strength of Lok Sabha.
Asserting that what was defeated in the Lok Sabha on April 17 was not the women’s reservation bill but delimitation, the opposition party urged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the condition of delimitation linked to set aside seats for women leaders.
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate pointed out that the women’s reservation bill was passed unanimously by Parliament on September 21, 2023, and it is part of the Constitution now.
“The women’s reservation bill was not defeated, the delimitation, which you (government) wanted to thrust on the nation, was defeated… PM Modi is shedding crocodile tears and hiding behind the women’s reservation bill,” the Congress leader said.
On the PM’s address to the nation over the rejection of the bill, Shrinate reiterated her party’s stand that if he was really sincere, he should immediately provide reservation to women within the current strength of the Lok Sabha of 543. “You have put a condition on that. Remove that condition. You are the ones creating hurdles in women’s reservation, you want to keep men happy and not reduce their seats,” she said.
Referring to Modi apologising to women, Shrinate said the PM owes an apology to the women for what happened to two Manipur women during riots, what happened in Hathras and Unnao, what happened with the women Olympians and how the convicts in Bilkis Bano case were honoured. Shrinate said of the 240 MPs, only 31 are women, which is only 12%. Of the 1,654 legislators across the country, there are only 164 women, which is less than 10%.