Women’s Reservation Bill: Congress joins chorus for OBC quota, Sonia Gandhi set to open debate in Lok Sabha

UPA chairperson and Chair of the Congress Parliamentary Party Sonia Gandhi is expected to be the lead speaker for the Congress as the House debates the Women’s Reservation Bill tabled in Parliament on Tuesday. In a shift in stance, the Congress party has decided to back the demand for OBC quota within the seats reserved for women, a demand that the INDIA bloc constituents including the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal continue to raise.

On Tuesday, Sonia Gandhi sought to claim credit for the women’s reservation bill during an interaction with the media, stating, “What about it? It’s ours. Apna hai.” This statement came amidst speculation about the bill being presented in Parliament.

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The Women’s Reservation Bill, introduced by the Centre in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, aims to reserve 33 per cent quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

During the first Lok Sabha session in the new Parliament building, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal tabled the bill, known as the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’. The special session began on Monday, with the bill introduced on the second day.

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The bill is scheduled for discussion today, September 20, the third day of the five-day-long special session of Parliament.

The Opposition has labelled the Bill as an ‘election jumla’ and raised concerns about the absence of OBC reservation and a clear implementation timeline. The Congress insists that the Women’s Reservation Bill will not take effect until after a census and delimitation, as per NDTV reports.

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The Congress asserts that the bill was initially introduced by their government. The Manmohan Singh-led UPA government tabled the Bill in the Rajya Sabha in 2008, and it was passed in 2010. However, the Bill was never considered in the Lok Sabha.

The Narendra Modi government introduced the 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2023, providing 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and all state Legislative Assemblies, extending the quota to seats reserved for SC/ST.

Prime Minister Modi, who called himself “the chosen one for empowering and strengthening women,” encouraged the five-day special session of Parliament held in the new parliament building on Tuesday to unanimously pass the Bill, named ‘Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam’.

PM Modi said, “The Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam will further strengthen our democracy. I congratulate mothers, sisters, and daughters of the nation for Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam. I assure all mothers, sisters, and daughters of the nation that we are committed to making this bill into law.”