New Delhi, April 18: Following the failure to pass the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has voiced her stance amidst statements from BJP leaders. She emphasized that Congress has always supported women’s reservation.
In a conversation with reporters, Priyanka Gandhi clarified Congress’s position on the women’s reservation issue. She asserted that the opposition has worked to safeguard democracy and thwart the government’s alleged agenda. According to her, the government aimed to advance a separate political agenda by linking the bill to delimitation, which the opposition opposed.
She further stated that the Women’s Reservation Law passed in 2023 should be implemented immediately. “If the government genuinely wants to provide reservation for women, it should enforce the old law without delay. We fully support it,” she said. Priyanka Gandhi challenged the government to convene a special session of Parliament to revisit this issue and determine who truly advocates for women’s rights.
Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan remarked, “This was not a women’s bill. We passed the Women’s Reservation Bill unanimously in 2023. I heard that PM Modi has visited Tamil Nadu. He should apologize to the women of Tamil Nadu for the delay in notifying the bill passed three years ago.”
He added that the special session called on April 16 was not intended for women’s reservation but aimed to undermine it by introducing delimitation. “They do not want to grant reservation. If they did, they would not have made us wait three years. Now they say that first there will be a census, then delimitation, and only then will they consider reservation. Their double standards have been exposed to women,” he stated.
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav commented, “They are anti-Dalit and anti-OBC. When the Samajwadi Party demanded reservation for OBC women, it was about half the population. These people create divisions within that half. They have always instilled distrust and fear in society, using these tactics to remain in power. The public is now aware of this.”
Shiv Sena UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi noted, “The public is observing the agenda. The agenda is that you do not want to grant reservation to women. You are trying to link one issue to another, claiming that only when we increase the number of seats will we provide space for women.”
She stated, “A law was passed in 2023 with full consensus to grant 33 percent reservation to women. At that time, we urged the government not to link it with delimitation and census. Yet, they ignored our amendments and silenced our voices. With the belief that women would receive their rights, we all supported this reservation in the Lok Sabha, except for one party. In the 2024 elections, you neither grant women 33 percent of seats nor show any willingness to do so.”
Leave a Comment