Special Parliament Session Highlights: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Women’s Reservation Bill with 454 MPs vote in favour of the bill, and two votes against the bill. The Parliament discussed Bill today which seeks to bring in 33 per cent reservation for women in the lower House and all state Legislative Assemblies. The Bill was introduced in Parliament on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling himself “the chosen one for empowering and strengthening women”. The Women’s Reservation Bill named ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ has been facing stalling and discord for the last 27 years due to a lack of consensus and political will. However, this will be a new bill and not a previous bill that was passed earlier.
Speaking during the Special Session of the Parliament, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that he supported the Women’s Reservation Bill, however, saying that the Bill was incomplete without the inclusion of OBC quota. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke in the Parliament and appealed to all political parties to support the Bill.
Parliament Special Session Live Updates Day 3: Women's reservation Bill up for discussion in Lok Sabha. Follow latest updates here
Lok Sabha passes the Women's Reservation Bill. A total of 454 MPs supported the Bill and two disapproved of it.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal speaks in Parliament.
"We won't let this bill get stuck in technical things," says Arjun Ram Meghwal in Lok Sabha during debate on Women's Reservation Bill.
"...This is the fifth attempt to bring the Women's Reservation Bill. From Devegowda ji to Manmohan Singh ji, four attempts were made to bring this bill...what was the reason this bill was not passed?..." says Amit Shah.
"Congress ruled for over five decades in this country, but there were 11 crore families who were deprived of toilets. They gave ‘Gareebi Hatao’ slogan but couldn't make any arrangements for the poor. When a house doesn’t have a toilet, then the most affected ones are the daughters, sisters and mothers," says Amit Shah in Lok Sabha.
"This bill will ensure the participation of women in decision-making, and policy-making in the country," says Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha on Women's Reservation Bill.
"Women are the biggest beneficiaries of all schemes," says Amit Shah.
"There have been 12 crore house which had no drinking water access. It is the women who face the most difficulty. The Narendra Modi government has brought water lines to all houses," he adds.
Passage of women's reservation bill will mark start of new era, PM Modi presented vision of women-led progress in G20, says Amit Shah in Lok Sabha.
"For some parties, Women's Reservation could be a political agenda, for some, it could be a weapon to win elections. But for my party and my leader Narendra Modi, this is not a political agenda, it is a matter of political recognition," says Amit Shah in Lok Sabha.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah begins speech in the Lok Sabha in the new Parliament building on the Women's Reservation Bill.
"How many OBCs, Dalits are there in the country, it can only be known via the caste census," says Rahul Gandhi.
"The government should immediately implement the Women's Reservation Bill," he adds.
"Please release the data of the caste census as soon as possible, and if you don't we will," the Congress leader adds.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi attacks BJP in Parliament, says women's reservation a huge step but still incomplete.
"There is nothing new. This is not a new bill but an old one being presented in a new form. I support this bill, however, there are plenty of ifs and buts in this bill," TMC Lok Sabha MP Shatrughan Sinha said.
Speaking on the Women's Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal asked why did it take the government 9.5 years to bring in the bill. "Why did you take 9.5 years to bring the bill? Today, there is no final date as to when women will get 33% reservation in this House," she said.
Asaduddin Owaisi from AIMIM opposed the bill, and said that the Modi governemnt wants to increase representation only for 'savarana' women. "This is an exclusive bill, anti-OBC and anti-Muslim bill," said Owaisi.
He asked, "Why is this not being extended to OBC and Muslim women?"
"...We have made women count. And it is time for you to step up in the opposition, and not merely reduce your words to paper, to speech, but speak with action and support Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam," says Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Women's Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha.
During the discussion on the women's quota Bill in the Lok Sabha, BJP leader Smriti Irani said "women are worshipped as Goddess Lakshmi in the country."
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday compared the Women's Reservation Bill by the government to the one brought by the Congress in 2010 during Manmohan Singh’s tenure.
https://twitter.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/1704362315729224004
Samajwadi Party (SP) has been demanding reservation for women from the OBCs and other economically backward communities, party MP Dimple Yadav said during the debate on the Women's Reservation Bill.
"I want to know whether this bill would also be implemented in Rajya Sabha and state legislative councils?" she asked.
"This bill has been stuck for 13 years and the BJP government has been in power for nearly 10 years. So, why has the government suddenly remembered women," she said.
Furthermore, she asked whether the Women's Reservation Bill would be applicable in the five states -- Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Mizoram -- where Assembly polls will be held.
Responding to the Opposition's demands over the women's quota Bill, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "They(Opposition) should understand this. This is a historic step. PM Narendra Modi did what the other governments couldn't do, didn't dare to or could not get passed. When you are giving reservations, One is the policy-based decision which would be done after amending the Constitution. And the other is to implement this reservation on the ground, its procedure is also given in the Constitution and law. The Delimitation is prohibited until 2026 which needs to be done...The big question is do you want it or not?"
"The reservation is for the creamy layer, which is why the demand is that this (women's) reservation should extend to backward and the most backward classes. It is to be seen what the government does," says Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Women's Reservation Bill.
“The Bill, in its reservation aspect, is similar to what was suggested and what was envisaged by the earlier UPA government. These parties, which did not have a problem with this Bill then, are now suddenly trying to create an issue,” says BJP leader Tejasvi Surya on Women's Reservation Bill.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh said, "Our party JD(U) supports the Women's Reservation Bill as we believe in women empowerment. However, this bill is a panic reaction to the formation of INDIA alliance. This bill is a 'jumla' ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls."
DMK MP Kanimozhi on Wednesday hit out at the government over the conditions imposed on the Women's Reservation Bill -- delimitation and census. She called on the BJP to immediately pass the bill and incorporate it in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
"This bill can be implemented for next year's Lok Sabha polls. But BJP has taken this as an opportunity for politicking," she said in the Lok Sabha.
Kanimozhi said women should be treated equally to men and "not be put on a pedestal where they can be worshipped".
Reiterating the statement of MK Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, DMK MP Kanimozhi asked why the implementation of women's quota Bill should be connected to delimitation.
The DMK has sought clarification on the conditions in quota Bill and the state-wise break up.
As DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi rose to speak, it was met with sloganeering by some MPs. She protested against the "heckling", while MPs in support of her shouted, "Is this your respect for women? Shame!"
Stating that he expected Sonia Gandhi to "rise above politics", Dubey said that the Congres party wasn't correct in claiming it was their Bill. He said that the two women who actually protested for reservation for women were Geeta Mukherjee and Sushma Swaraj, and that they should be credited for this Bill.
Dubey asserted that it was the BJP's and PM Modi's Bill.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi called for an immediate caste census while speaking during the debate on the Women's Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha.
She said the caste census was required for better implementation of the bill and that SCs and OBCs should be included in the Women's Reservation Bill.
Raising concerns over the Women's Reservation Bill, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said that the "Bill must make provisions for reservation for OBCs, SCs and STs".
The Opposition has found a common ground to attack the government, stating that the Bill is a “huge betrayal” for women as the implementation date had been kept vague. It also criticised the government for not providing quota for backward classes. This marks a turnaround from the Congress on its earlier position in 2010 when it failed to push the Bill through in the Lok Sabha — it was approved by the Rajya Sabha — because of stiff opposition from the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) over their demand for quota within quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and minorities.