Rajya Sabha passes Women’s Reservation Bill after 11-hour debate
- A total of 215 MPs voted in favour of the Women's Reservation Bill and no MP voted against it
After 11-hour debate, Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the Women's Reservation Bill.
A total of 215 MPs (members of Parliament) voted in favour of the Women's Reservation Bill and no MP voted against it.
The Women Reservation Bill seeks to guarantee 33% for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
In the Lok Sabha, the Bill was passed on Wednesday. It was introduced by Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Tuesday. In the Lower House, 454 MPs voted in favour of the legislation and two against it on the motion for the passage moved by Meghwal.
The Parliament passing the Women's Reservation Bill will lead to a new confidence in the people of the country, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
“This Bill will lead to a new confidence in the people of the country. All members and political parties have played a significant role in empowering women and enhancing ‘Nari Shakti’. Let us give the country a strong message,” Modi said in Rajya Sabha before voting on the bill.
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman issued a clarification on the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill saying that whenever the first census takes place and the relevant figures are out, a delimitation exercise shall be undertaken and subsequently, the reservation will be provided.
“As far as the implementation of the proposed reservation for women is concerned, a new Article 334-A is inserted into the constitution. It intends that after the Bill is enacted and after the Bill comes into operation, whenever the first census takes place and the relevant figures for that census are published, a fresh delimitation exercise shall be undertaken for providing the reservation,” Sitharaman said.
Meghwal gave a brief reply to the day-long debate on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 in Rajya Sabha.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Thursday demanded a statement from the prime minister and home minister assuring the House about completing the process of implementing the Women's Reservation Bill by 2029.
“We don't know who will come to power, but they must make a statement that if they don't complete the process by 2029 they will resign as prime minister and home minister,” Sibal said during a debate on the women's reservation bill.
Home minister Amit Shah had on Wednesday indicated that reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will become a reality after 2029.
The bill requires a delimitation exercise to be undertaken based on census data.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Vandana Chavan on Thursday said unfortunately the Women’s Reservation Bill comes with a “caveat” that it would be implemented after census and delimitation.
“We are very happy that the Women Reservation Bill has ultimately seen the light of day. Unfortunately, it comes with a caveat, it says that after census and delimitation. I don't see why this should be put in. If we genuinely want to give reservations to women, if we want to take them into the decision-making process at the state level and the Parliament level. It can be done even now it can be done in the 2024 elections, so why are we delaying it," Chavan told ANI.
DMK MP Kanimozhi expressed concern over the relatively long implementation time of the Women's Reservation Bill. She said that there is no clear information on when the provisions of the bill will be implemented.
“We all thought it would be a golden moment (passing of the Women's Reservation Bill) because we thought it would be implemented as soon as possible but now we don't know (when it will be implemented). The implementation can take 10, 15 or 20 years because it has a lot of conditions,” Kanimozhi told ANI.
The ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ is the first Bill that has been passed by the Parliament after it shifted to the new building on Tuesday.
(With inputs from agencies)
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First Published:21 Sep 2023, 10:40 PM IST
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