In a historic majority, the Women’s Reservation Bill has now been passed by the Rajya Sabha with an unanimous 215 votes on Thursday, September 21. The Bill seeks to reserve one-third (33%) of the total seats in the Lok Sabha, state Assemblies, and Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
A day earlier, the Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha with 454 votes, and two MPs objecting to it, citing the non availability of quota for Muslims and OBCs. On Wednesday, while debating the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Opposition leaders pointed out that the clauses regarding the census and delimitation will lead to indefinite delay, as there are no definite dates for either. At present, it is unlikely that the Bill will be implemented ahead of the General Elections next year. Another concern raised was that the Bill makes no provision for internal reservation either for women from Other Backward Classes (OBC) or for women from minority religions.
The Rajya Sabha saw similar concerns about the lack of OBC representation and the delays in implementing the Bill. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, while supporting the Bill said, “Despite the Bill being a poll promise from the BJP, it took 9 and a half years to be introduced in Parliament.” She also added, “The government is opening doors for women, but they are also being told that they cannot enter for another 7 years.” Congress MP Rajani Ashokrao Patil said, “We do not want to be goddesses. We don't want to be sisters. We want to be human beings. Do not put us on a pedestal, treat us as equal.”
Congress general secretary and MP KC Venugopal demanded two assurances from the government: “This bill will have to be implemented immediately, and provision has to be made for OBC reservation.” He also asked why a Special Session was called hurriedly if the Bill can only be enforced in 2029.
Nationalist Congress Party MP Vandana Chauhan said, “Delimitation will be a difficult process, as southern states will object to it. The southern states have worked to reduce the population while northern states have not.”
Congress MP Amee Yajnik said that the government that calls itself the “Mother of Democracy” does not want “mothers to sit alongside them” in decision-making positions. “You’ve brought a Bill with conditions and caveats — that means your intentions are not right. You don't want women to have empowerment … Delimitation and census are in your hands, what have you been doing for 9.5 years? ” she asked the government. She accused the BJP-led government of merely performing “lip service”. “You make tall claims. You think every space is a [political] rally. You don’t want to translate it into action. Social justice for the women of India is embedded in the Constitution. Women want political empowerment,” she said.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien said, “We, the DMK, AAP, all of us in the INDIA alliance, are saying bring this in, in 2024. All you need to do to bring it in 2024 is to remove 334A [women’s reservation to be implemented after delimitation of constituencies]. If you find that difficult to do, here’s another solution. An open challenge from our party — get 33% women elected from your party and show us.” He also asked that 33% reservation for women be brought in in the Rajya Sabha.
Derek O'Brien also referred to an alleged remark by then-Gorakhpur MP and current CM of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adiyanath. According to the TMC MP, opposing the Women's Reservation Bill in 2010, Yogi Adithyanath had said, “Western ideas of women's liberation should be properly analysed in the Indian context.” Citing this remark, Derek O'Brien said, “ This was said by the current CM of Uttar Pradesh. You can build a new building, but you must change your mindset first.”
While DMK MP R Girirajan welcomed the Bill, he also said that people have apprehensions about its timing.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha said, “There might be nothing in a name in this country, but there is everything in the surname. Some of our surnames have given us privilege, while others have not,” referring to the lack of OBC representation.