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'INDIA bloc's goal is to enforce Women's bill immediately': Sonia Gandhi
Addressing the DMK's Women's rights conference, the Congress leader claimed that Rajiv Gandhi brought the 33% reservation for women in Panchayati raj.
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday affirmed that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) would fight for the immediate implementation of the Women's reservation bill, which was recently passed by the Parliament.
Addressing the DMK's Women's rights conference in Chennai, the Congress leader claimed that it was former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who brought the 33% reservation for women in panchayati raj governments, which spurred an entirely new phenomenon of women leadership at the grassroots level.
"Now the women's quota bill has finally been passed in the parliament due to our relentless persistence and efforts; of all of us, not just the Congress. However, as we all know it is still a long way to come," she said.
Gandhi also recalled the interventions by opposition parliamentarians on the actual implementation of the bill, whether it would be in one year, two or three years.
"We have no idea. Though some men are happy, we are not, we women are not," she said. Gandhi asserted that "we are going to fight," for the implementation of women's reservation bill.
The Congress leader further said that as women, there are many struggles to cross. “Our women have made India proud in multiple fields, in spite of the shackles of tradition, patriarchy and culture that stood in their way. Today, Indian women shine in many spheres. Yet, we all know the struggle continues, and there are many more frontiers to cross,” she said.
Hitting out at the Narendra Modi-led central government, she said the last nine years have seen a sustained effort on the part of the Modi government to "turn our women purely into symbols to be counted and appreciated only in their restricted, traditional role in a patriarchal framework."
"Vetri namathey, (victory is ours) nandri (thank you)," she said in Tamil.
During a special session of Parliament last month, the Women’s Reservation Bill or Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023 was passed by both houses of parliament with unanimity after it shifted its operation to the new parliament building on September 19.
The bill, officially known as the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, seeks to provide 33% reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. However, the reservation will be implemented after the new Census and delimitation.
The quota for women in the Lok Sabha and assemblies will continue for 15 years and Parliament can later extend the benefit period. While there is quota within quota for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) women, the opposition had demanded that the benefit be extended to Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
