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The 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill, which has the potential to have a wide impact on the country’s politics, got the approval of the Parliament on Thursday, in which there is a provision for 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Rajya Sabha gave its unanimous approval to the ‘Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2023’ after about 10 hours of discussion. All 214 members present voted in favor of the bill while not a single vote was cast against it. This bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday itself. However, out of 456 MPs present in the Lok Sabha, two voted against it.
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Rising above party sentiments, the members supported this bill in the Upper House, while many members raised questions regarding the time frame for its implementation. Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that no one should have any doubt on its implementation because ‘if Modi is there, it is possible’. The bill was passed after rejecting several amendments, including providing reservation to Other Backward Class (OBC) women within the one-third quota.
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Reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will apply to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories. Questioning the ‘sudden love’ of Congress and other parties towards OBCs, Meghwal said that their demand reflects their political compulsion. He said that Congress did not fulfill Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s wish of forming a commission on backward classes. Nearly half of the country’s 95 crore registered voters are women, but the number of women MPs in Parliament is only 15 percent and in state assemblies this figure is only 10 percent.
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Responding to the debate in the Upper House, the Law Minister said that the work of census is not easy as data related to various social and economic parameters is collected in it. He assured the House that the government is committed to implementing the Women’s Reservation Bill and there is a need to allay any apprehensions. 33 percent reservation for women will not apply to the Upper House of Parliament and State Legislative Councils. Supporting the bill, opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge sought information about the timeline for implementing the proposed law and also demanded reservation for OBCs.
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He asked the government to bring an amendment to this effect in the next session and assured the support of the Congress Party. He also said that the government should have implemented the bill immediately as it did within a few hours in the case of demonetisation and passed the three farm laws. Kharge said the Congress party is supporting the bill, but the law should not become another ‘jumla’ like the promise of two crore jobs per year and ‘depositing Rs 15 lakh in the bank account of every citizen’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that this bill related to women’s reservation, if it becomes law, will be known as ‘Narishakti Vandan Act’.
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At present, provision for women’s reservation has been made in the bill for 15 years and the Parliament will have the right to extend it. At the end of the discussion, Prime Minister Modi termed this bill as giving new energy to the women power of the country and said that with this, women will come forward with leadership to contribute in nation building. He ‘heartily congratulated and expressed his gratitude’ to all the members for supporting this bill. He said that this feeling that has been created will create confidence among the people of the country. He said that all the MPs and all the parties have played a huge role.
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Currently, almost half of India’s 95 crore registered voters are women, but the number of women members in Parliament is only 15 percent while in Legislative Assemblies this figure is 10 percent. Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the MPs for supporting the bill. He said, “This feeling that has arisen will create a new confidence among the people of the country and all the MPs and political parties have played a very important role in this.” Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, “Women. “A milestone in the nation’s journey towards empowering the power! After extensive discussion with the participation of members from all political parties, the Rajya Sabha unanimously passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill.”
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The Prime Minister later posed for a photo with women MPs, many of whom distributed sweets to celebrate the passage of the bill. Many women members praised the Prime Minister for his decisive leadership in passing the bill. In a post on social media platform Modi said, “A defining moment in our country’s democratic journey! Congratulations to 140 crore Indians.
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He said, “With the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill in Parliament, we are ushering in an era of stronger representation and empowerment for the women of India. This is not just a bill, it is a tribute to the countless women who have built our nation. India has been enriched by their resilience and contributions.” The Prime Minister said, “As we celebrate today, we are reminded of the strength, courage and indomitable spirit of all the women of our nation. This historic step is a commitment to ensure that their voices are heard even more effectively.
