Women's reservation is not a political issue, it's about recognition: Amit Shah in Lok Sabha
Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the women's reservation is not a “political issue” but it is about "recognition.
Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the reservation for women is not a “political issue for the BJP but a matter of recognition". Taking a dig at the opposition, Shah said, “For some parties, women empowerment can be a political agenda and a political tool to win elections, but for BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi it is not a political issue.”
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Addressing the Lok Sabha on the third day of the special five-day session of the Parliament, the union minister also questioned the Opposition over the delay in passing of the bill. Notably, the bill has been in talks since the then UPA government and was also tabled in the Rajya Sabha in 2010.
“Women's quota bill was brought to Parliament four times earlier but not passed, why is that?” Sahh questioned. He further appealed to the Parliament to pass it unanimously.
‘Women's reservation bill to start a new era'
Amit Shah lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his women-led vision saying, “The passage of women's reservation bill will mark the start of a new era…Women's security, respect, and equal participation have been the life force of government since PM Modi took the oath of office…He also presented the vision of women-led progress in the G20.”
Shah also highlighted PM Modi's women-centric initiatives during his address. “Our government has provided 100 million LPG connections to women, and constructed 40 million houses,” he said.
Referring to the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign, Shah said, “The dropout rate of women from education has drastically reduced…the sex ratio has improved in the country”.
What is women's reservation bill?
The long-standing women's reservation bill, also known as the Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008 or the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, seeks to provide a 33 percent quota for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The legislation was tabled by union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Tuesday in the first sitting of Lok Sabha in the new Parliament building.
According to the bill, one-third of the total number of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will be reserved for women from those groups. These reserved seats may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in the state or union territory.