RAIPUR: The Vishnu Deo Sai-led Chhattisgarh government has decided to convene a one-day special session of the State Assembly later this month to specifically aimed at passing a censure motion against the opposition for its alleged "non-cooperation" regarding the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai revealed the government’s plan after the BJP's "Jan-Akrosh Rally" (public outrage rally) organised in the state capital to show women's resentment against the opposition parties.
He stated that the state government intends to take a firm stand against the opposition's behaviour, which he claims hindered the passage of the bill. "Congress and opposition parties have opposed not a bill but the empowerment and rights of women”, CM Sai stated accusing the Congress of "betrayal" and "grave sin" for blocking a constitutional amendment bill providing 33 percent reservation for women in legislative bodies.
According to sources, the special session is expected to take place at the end of this month. The move signals upcoming intense political volatility in Chhattisgarh.
Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel rejected the BJP's claims of credit for the Women’s Reservation Bill, alleging that the party is using the legislation as a "Trojan horse" to weaken the rights of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
Baghel asserted that a Women’s Reservation Bill had already been passed unanimously in September 2023. He claimed that the current version of the bill, pushed by the BJP, intentionally includes clauses for census and delimitation to delay its implementation and dilute the existing quota systems.
Baghel reminded the public that the Congress party pioneered women’s reservation as early as 1989 and successfully implemented it during the 1994 Panchayat elections. He argued that while the Congress worked to provide grassroots power to women, the BJP historically created hurdles for such progressive measures.