Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 25: The Indian National Congress today strongly criticized the recent passage of the Women Reservation Bill by the Government, labeling it as the “biggest jumla,” demanding its immediate implementation in 2024 without the inclusion of clauses related to delimitation, census, and the coverage of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), which are not covered under the bill.
Dr. Shama Mohammad, the National Spokesperson of the Indian National Congress, expressed her party’s discontent during a press conference, highlighting the delay in bringing the bill to Parliament despite the Government’s majority for the past nine years.
“More so, there were no caveats in the bill which we had brought in 2010; there was nothing about the delimitation and census, but they got two clauses in it without any set timeline for its implementation,” she asserted.
Dr. Shama recounted previous attempts by Congress leaders to push for women’s reservation. She mentioned a letter written by Sonia Gandhi in 2017, followed by one from Rahul Gandhi in 2018, both urging the Government to table the bill for the betterment of women in the country. “Despite these efforts, no substantial progress was made,” she said.
Looking back in history, Dr. Shama highlighted former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s 1998 attempt to pass a bill for 33 percent reservation of women in Panchayats. While the bill passed in the Lok Sabha, “it fell short of seven votes in the Rajya Sabha, with prominent BJP leaders, including L.K. Advani, Yashwant Sinha, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, opposing it.”
“In 1992, during Narsimha Rao’s tenure, the bill was brought again and was passed as the party had the necessary majority. With that, women were empowered, and at that time, it was important; the Congress is committed to the empowerment of women,” she emphasized.
Dr. Shama also noted the Congress’s efforts in 2010 when they introduced a bill seeking 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha. “However, the bill did not pass due to a lack of majority,” she said.
She questioned the sudden push by the BJP-led Government to pass the Women Reservation Bill after nine years of inaction. “Even in the Parliament, our leaders underlined that the bill must be implemented without delimitation and census, along with the reservation for OBCs because in the 2010 bill, there were no caveats. But they did not pay heed to it,” Dr. Shama remarked.
Regarding the delays in delimitation and census, she expressed skepticism about the Government’s sincerity in implementing the bill. “They want to get women votes, and they know they won’t get it because women are already suffering,” she argued.
Dr. Shama further questioned the Government’s stance on a caste census and called for the inclusion of OBCs in the bill. She concluded by insisting that the Women Reservation Bill should be implemented in 2024.
She criticized the Government for allegedly siding with rapists, citing cases like Unnao, Kathua, Bilques Bano, Hathras, and Manipur, where women were subjected to heinous crimes. She accused the Government of inaction and silence in the face of such atrocities.
Addressing the situation in J&K, Dr Shama called for immediate elections, asserting that the atmosphere is conducive for it. She emphasized the importance of allowing people to choose their representatives for the sake of democracy.
“Let the people decide who they want; people have a voice, why are they not paying heed to it?” she questioned, adding that the transformation of a state into a Union Territory was done without the consent of the people.
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