"I welcome Women's Reservation Bill, but need more clarity": Priyanka Chaturvedi
Sep 19, 2023
New Delhi [India], September 19 : Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Tuesday welcomed the Women's Reservation Bill and said, more clarity is needed on the bill.
"Once the bill is presented in the Parliament, we will get to know in which form it has been brought up. For now, there is only source-based information. I hope that this bill is passed as soon as possible. I hope that this bill will empower all the women out there," she told ANI.
"Being a woman, I would say that the biggest problem women face is that of 'character assassination'. I hope that this bill will wipe away such a mentality. The male-dominated society should remember that women too are a part of it," she said, adding, "I believe that this bill should be implemented soon. Women should be elected in the 2024 general assembly election, and they should play roles in the development of the country."
Speaking to ANI, "Chaturvedi said, "I will welcome this. Once the bill is presented on the tables, we will get to know in which form it has been brought up. For now, there is only source-based information. I hope that this bill be passed as soon as possible. I hope that this bill will empower all the women out there".
"Being a woman, I would say that the biggest problem women face is that of 'Character assassination'. I hope that with this bill such a mentality is wiped out. The male-dominated society should remember that women too are a part of it. I believe that this bill should be implemented soon. Women should be elected in the 2024 general assembly election and they should play roles in the development of the country", she added.
Union Cabinet on Monday cleared the Women's Reservation Bill, sources said on Monday.
The meeting of the Union Cabinet was held at Parliament House Annexe in Delhi.
After the bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet on Monday it is expected to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on the second day of the special session in the new Parliament building.
Meanwhile, welcoming the Women's Reservation Bill, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Mahua Maji said that they have been demanding the implementation of the women's reservation for a long time and now that the Centre is introducing this bill, the government should take in account the rights of Schedule Tribe and Scheduled Castes too.
"I welcome the bill, We have been demanding it for a long time. But it should take into account women belonging to Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) categories too, or the benefits of it will completely be derived by the women from the elite class", Maji said.
Launching an attack on the BJP-led Centre, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Dola Sen said this bill was a compulsion for the government as General elections are near.
"It is a compulsion of the election, nothing else. In the last 9.5 years, the 'achche din wali sarkar' has done nothing. Since the election is around the corner, they needed to do something," Sen said.
"But if they bring the Women's Reservation Bil, we will support it. Better late than never", Sen added while speaking to ANI.
Meanwhile, after the bill was cleared by the union cabinet, there erupted a war of words between the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party and the Congress with the latter claiming that the bill was 'theirs'.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has said that demand for the Women Reservation Bill was initiated by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and Sonia Gandhi.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told ANI “We want the Women's Reservation Bill to be brought and passed as soon as possible. The demand for the Women's Reservation Bill was initiated by UPA and our leader Sonia Gandhi. It took so long, but we will be happy if this is introduced."
Earlier today BJP IT Cell in-charge Amit Malviya took a jibe at the Congress for its claims that it was the prime mover behind the women's reservation bill.
In a post on X where he reacted to a 2018 Post by Rahul Gandhi Malviya said " Where was the Congress’s unconditional support when the Bill was first introduced in 1996 (as the 81st Amendment Bill) by PM HD Deve Gowda led Govt? In 1998 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee Govt introduced it, and then later in 1999, 2002 and then 2003? The Congress didn’t rise to the occasion, ever…" he said.
"In 2008, when Congress-led UPA was in power, Dr Manmohan Singh introduced the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, but never tabled it in the Lok Sabha… What did you do then, other than capitulate to allies RJD, JDU and the Samajwadi Party, who opposed the move vehemently? And today you are lecturing and offering unconditional support? Laughable" he added in the post.
The Women's Reservation Bill seeks to reserve 33 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women. Despite being a crucial step towards gender parity and inclusive governance, the Bill has remained in legislative limbo for far too long.
