Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that he supported the Women’s Reservation Bill, however, without OBC quota’s inclusion, the Bill remained incomplete. Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the Special Session over the Women’s Reservation Bill in the new Parliament Building, Gandhi, said, “Huge step in transfer of power to women was Panchayati Raj, this (Women’s Reservation Bill) is another big step. One thing makes this women’s reservation bill incomplete, would like to have seen OBC reservation included.”
The Congress leader hit out at the BJP, saying that the moment Opposition parties raise caste census, the saffron party tries to create a “new distraction”.
“Only caste census can give the answer to the number of OBC, Dalit and Adivasi in the country. I have a suggestion for the government. Pass the Women’s Reservation Bill…Get the caste census done as soon as possible…and if you are not doing it, we will do it,” he said.
The Wayanad MP also questioned President Droupadi Murmu’s absence while shifting from the old to the new Parliament building on Tuesday. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar was present at the event.
He said, “This is a nice, tasteful building but would have liked to see the President in this process.”
President is a woman, from tribal community, it would have been befitting to have her visible in transfer to new Parliament building, the Congress MP said.
The Congress leader also said that he was “shocked” to find that out of the 90 secretaries in the government of India, only three are OBCs.