The Congress party is intensifying its demand for the swift enactment of the Women’s Reservation Bill, recently passed by Parliament during a Special Session. To underscore their commitment to this cause, Congress will hold 21 press conferences across 21 cities, aimed at highlighting what they perceive as the Modi government’s betrayal in delaying the bill’s implementation.
Pawan Khera, a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), announced the campaign, stating, “Twenty-one Cities. Twenty-one Women leaders. One Agenda – to expose the treachery by the Modi govt in the name of Women Reservation.”
The Congress party has consistently advocated for the immediate implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi reiterated this stance, emphasizing that the bill could be put into effect promptly by allocating 33 percent of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha seats to women. He dismissed any connection between women’s reservations and the Decadal Census or Delimitation, labeling it a diversionary tactic.
“We feel very strongly that Indian women are not participating in the political system the way they should be. The single biggest act to help them participate in politics was carried out by the Congress party, i.e., 33% reservation in Panchayati Raj, which was a game changer,” Rahul Gandhi emphasized. He also highlighted the Congress’s efforts to pass women’s reservation in Panchayati Raj and the fact that the RSS doesn’t allow women into its ranks, indicating the party’s commitment to women’s empowerment.
Rahul Gandhi had previously criticized the government for delaying the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill, attributing it to reasons like delimitation and census as diversionary tactics to shift attention away from caste census. He stressed that the bill could be enacted immediately and criticized the government for presenting it as a decade-long process.
Regarding the absence of OBC quota under the Women’s Reservation Bill brought by the UPA government in 2010, Rahul Gandhi expressed his regret, acknowledging that this should have been addressed earlier. He affirmed his commitment to rectify this omission in the future.
