Opposition Backs Women’s Bill with OBC Quota:
Sonia Gandhi, Chief of the Congress parliamentary party, expressed her party’s support for the women’s reservation bill and called for its immediate implementation. She also demanded provisions for the reservation of OBC women.
During the Lok Sabha debate, Gandhi stressed that delaying the implementation of the reservation would be a grave injustice to Indian women. She urged the government to act swiftly and make provisions for the reservation of SC, ST, and OBC women after conducting a caste census. DMK leader M. Kanimozhi called for the removal of the “after delimitation” clause in the bill to avoid unnecessary delays in its implementation.
She emphasized that the bill aims to eliminate bias and injustice, not just provide reservation. NCP leader Supriya Sule criticized the bill as a “post-dated cheque” and questioned the government’s decision to hold a special session to approve it when census and delimitation dates are still uncertain.
She called for a clear timeline for implementation. JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh accused the Modi government of using the bill as a political maneuver to win the 2024 elections. While he supported the bill’s objective, he called it a “jumla” or empty promise. Samajwadi Party member Dimple Yadav called for the reservation of women from backward classes, SC/STs, and minority communities in the bill.
Trinamool Congress member Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar criticized the government for linking the bill’s implementation to population census and delimitation, calling it a “sinister” move. BSP chief Mayawati urged the government to separate the bill from census and delimitation processes to ensure its immediate implementation. She accused both the BJP and Congress of using the bill for political gain and stated that certain provisions would delay its benefits for years.
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