PM Modi Hails Passage Of Women's Reservation Bill, To be Debated In Rajya Sabha Today

New Delhi: Nari Shakti Vandan or Women's Reservation Bill will be discussed in Rajya Sabha today i.e. on 21st September. The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on 20 September. 454 votes were cast in favor of the bill, while 2 votes were cast against it. 

Two AIMIM party MPs Asaduddin Owaisi and Imtiaz Jaleel cast their votes against the Bill. Voting was done through slips. This bill was passed in the Lok Sabha with two-thirds majority.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed the passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha.

The Prime Minister posted on X (formerly Twitter): "Delighted at the passage of The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Lok Sabha with such phenomenal support. I thank MPs across Party lines who voted in support of this Bill."

PM wrote further: "The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is a historic legislation which will further boost women empowerment and will enable even greater participation of women in our political process."

60 MPs expressed their views in the debate on the bill

60 MPs expressed their views in the discussion on the bill. Rahul Gandhi said that this bill is incomplete without OBC reservation. On this, Amit Shah said that this reservation will be equally applicable to General, SC and ST. Census and delimitation will take place immediately after the elections and women's participation will soon increase in the House. Reservation will not come quickly by protesting.

Anti-OBC, anti-Muslim bill: Owaisi 

AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi opposed the women's reservation bill. He said that the Modi government only wants to increase the representation of 'upper caste' women. This bill will affect the representation of OBC women and Muslim women. This is an anti-OBC, anti-Muslim bill.

Modi government is thinking only for 'big' people. These people do not want 'small' people to lead this House. This bill is going to close the doors to the representation of Muslim women in Parliament.

No provision to give reservation on basis of religion

Dimple Yadav had demanded that reservation should also be given to backward classes and Muslim women in the Women's Reservation Bill. Smriti Irani rejected this. She said that I want to tell those who are demanding reservation for minorities in the Women's Reservation Bill that there is no provision in the Constitution to give reservation on the basis of religion.

TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh said that only West Bengal has a woman CM in the country, BJP has a government in 16 states, but not a single state has a woman CM. Women who won medals for the country were sexually harassed. Accused Brij Bhushan Singh is sitting in Parliament today. Why doesn't BJP take any action against him?

Election stunt: Lalan Singh

On the other hand, JDU MP Lalan Singh said that this is an election stunt of 2024. The government got scared of the I.N.D.I.A alliance and brought this bill. If their intentions were right, they would have started the census in 2021. With this, the census would have been completed by now and women's reservation would have been implemented before 2024.

Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal United JD(U) on Wednesday supported the women’s reservation bill in the Lok Sabha but expressed serious doubt over the Centre’s intention to implement the proposals of the bill.

Speaking on behalf of his party in the Lok Sabha, JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh also termed the bill as the biggest ‘Jumla’ ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

27 women members from 15 parties participated in debate 

Twenty-seven women members from 15 parties had participated in the debate on the women's reservation bill in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, with BJP MPs coming out in support of it and the opposition parties backing it but demanding its immediate implementation.

At present, there are 82 women members in Lok Sabha, out of the total strength of 543. Women members representing 15 political parties and two independents participated in the discussion.

The government on Tuesday introduced the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, which seeks to reserve 33 per cent seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. It was the first bill introduced in the new Parliament building.