The women’s reservation bill is a “jumla” (empty promise) and will not be implemented till 2034, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said, as he accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre of “misleading” the people on the legislation.
The Congress leader was addressing a “Krishak-sah-Shramik Sammelan” (farmers-cum-labourers convention) of the Chhattisgarh government in Sumabhata village in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district when he made the remarks. The state is scheduled to go to the polls this year.
“The women’s reservation bill was passed recently. It is not a new one as (former prime minister) Rajiv Gandhi ji had brought 73rd and 74th amendments and ensured reservation to women in panchayat bodies,” he said.
“When Rajiv Gandhi brought 33% reservation (bill in Parliament), the BJP had opposed it. In one House, we got a majority (in favour of the bill) but in another, the BJP opposed it and the bill was defeated,” he added.
The same BJP is now thumping its chest and taking credit for the legislation, Kharge said. “When are they going to implement it (bill)? They themselves say it will not happen in 2024 and that it will be implemented after Census and delimitation in 2029. This means it will be implemented in 2034. They (ruling BJP) just want to mislead the people,” he said.
On September 21, Parliament approved the 106th amendment to the Constitution to reserve a third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures for women, a landmark endorsement of a decades-long crusade that was unsuccessful on at least six occasions over nearly three decades. The bill will now require President Droupadi Murmu’s signature and at least 50% of the states to approve the amendment to the Constitution.
{{/usCountry}}On September 21, Parliament approved the 106th amendment to the Constitution to reserve a third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures for women, a landmark endorsement of a decades-long crusade that was unsuccessful on at least six occasions over nearly three decades. The bill will now require President Droupadi Murmu’s signature and at least 50% of the states to approve the amendment to the Constitution.
{{/usCountry}}Kharge said the bill is a “jumla as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will never provide reservation to women”. “This is just a slogan for elections. Like the Prime Minister’s promise of jobs to 10 crore people which was never fulfilled… the women’s reservation will also turn out to be just a phrase,” he said.
“… they (BJP) think they can make promises, people will vote and then forget,” he added.
The Congress leader also pitched for a census of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), saying it will provide detailed information for implementation of welfare schemes.
The BJP dismissed Kharge’s remarks on the bill. “If the bill is a jumla, then why did they support it in Parliament? The Congress also misleads people and shows double-standards,” party spokesperson Sacchinand Upasane said.