Watch Parliament LIVE: Lok Sabha Passes Women's Reservation Bill with 454 Votes
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Parliament Session Live Updates: The Lok Sabha on Monday, 20 September, passed the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' (NSVA) with 454 votes in favour and two against it. The Bill proposes to provide 33% reservation to women in the Parliament and the state Assemblies.
Watch the proceedings here:
The voting took place after heated debates on the Bill in the Lower House through the day.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi earlier addressed the Lok Sabha on the issue.
"There is one thing in my view that makes this Bill incomplete. I think OBC reservation should have been included in this Bill," Rahul Gandhi said.
"There are also two things that seem strange to me - one is the idea that you require a new census and the second is that you required a new delimitation to implement this Bill," he added.
Responding to Rahul Gandhi's claims of OBCs being sidelined, Home Minister Amit Shah said that 29% BJP MPs are from the OBC community.
"Your party never made a OBC PM, we did," Shah said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in her address to the Lok Sabha said: "How many years will they wait? Two years? Four years? Six years? Eight years? Is this right? The Congress demands that this Bill be implemented immediately but there should be a caste census and the women of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBC must be given reservation too. The government should take all necessary steps for this."
Addressing the Lok Sabha later on Wednesday, Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said: "She also said that the Opposition is misleading the country on the Bill by demanding reservation for backward classes."
The Bill, which promises 33 percent reservation in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for women, was tabled in the Lower House of Parliament the previous day by Union Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal.
Key statements made on the Bill in the Lok Sabha:
"The dates for both census and delimitation are intermittent. Them why has this session been called?: NCP MP Supriya Sule
"Devil in the detail came forth. This male-dominated Parliament betrayed women": SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal
"Has the Congress remembered the elfare of SC/STs and OBCs only after women's reservation Bill?": Union Minister Anupriya Patel
"Don't just salute us, we don't want to be put on pedestals. We want to be treated as equals": DMK MP Kanimozhi
"The Bill has been brought to allure women before the upcoming elections": BSP chief Mayawati
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Sonia Gandhi To Open Debate on Women's Reservation Bill
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi is likely to open the debate on the Women's Reservation Bill, also termed as the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam', in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, 20 September.
What Is the Women's Reservation Bill?
The Women's Reservation Bill, which promises 33 percent seats in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for women, was tabled in the Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday by Union Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal.
The bill, if passed, will come into effect after the first delimitation or redrawing of constituencies, which is likely to take place in 2027, as per details of the legislation.
The bill promises 33 percent or 181 seats for women will be reserved in the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies.
However, there will be no reservation in either the Rajya Sabha or the state legislative councils.
The reservation will be in place only for 15 years after the bill becomes an Act.
The reserved seats/constituencies will be rotated after every delimitation exercise.
Within seats reserved for SC/STs, one third will be reserved for women within these categories.
Words 'Socialist, Secular' Missing From New Copies of Constitution: Adhir
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that the words "socialist" and "secular" were missing in the new copies of the Constitution handed out to MPs on Tuesday, 19 September.
“The new copies of the Constitution that were given to us today (19th September), the one we held in our hands and entered (the new Parliament building), its Preamble doesn’t have the words ‘socialist secular’. We know that the words were added after an amendment in 1976 but if someone gives us the Constitution today and it doesn’t have those words, it is a matter of concern," he told news agency ANI.
"Their intention is suspicious. It has been done cleverly. It is a matter of concern for me. I tried to raise this issue but I did not get an opportunity to raise this issue," Chowdhury added.
'Discussion on Women's Reservation Bill From 11 AM-6 PM': Meghwal
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that the discussion on the Women's Reservation Bill will begin at 11:00 AM and continue till 6:00 PM.
"Discussion will be done through the day. It will begin at 11 AM and it has been scheduled to continue till 6 PM. This has nothing to do with politics," he told news agency ANI.
'Women's Reservation Bill Not New': Kharge
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that the Women's Reservation Bill tabled by the BJP government is not a new Bill.
"In 2010, we had passed the Bill in Rajya Sabha. But it failed to be passed by the Lok Sabha. That is why, this is not a new Bill. Had they taken that Bill forward, it would have been done quickly by this day," he said, adding, "They could have continued with the earlier one but their intentions are something else."
Kharge further added that the Modi government was "publicising" the matter in view of the upcoming elections.
"Unless delimitation or census takes place, you can understand how long it (implementation of the Bill) is going to take," he added.
'Centre Has Moved Mahila Bewakoof Banao Bill': AAP
AAP MP Sanjay Singh called the Women's Reservation Bill moved by the Centre a 'Mahila Bewakoof Banao' Bill.
"This is another 'jumla' brought by them...If you want to implement the Bill, AAP stands with you completely but implement it in 2024. Do you think the women of the country are fools?" he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI
"Women of the country, political parties understand these election tactics. So, we say that if their intentions are clear, implement it in 2024," he added.
Jairam Ramesh Compares 2 Bills, Claims BJP's Women's Reservation Bill Not New
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh compared Bills moved by the BJP government and the Congress-led UPA government on women's reservation, claiming that the new Bill is not a new one.
"On women’s reservation — a brief comparison of the Niti and Niyat of the governments in 2010 and 2023.
1. Both Bills introduce one-third reservation for women in LS and State Assemblies.
2. Both Bills have quota within quota for women belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
3. The key difference is the implementation of women’s reservation in the 2010 Bill was supposed to be immediate and without conditions unlike in the 2023 Bill — where the conditions of Census(that has not been held yet) and a delimitation (that is very contentious) have been added to shift the implementation to an unknown and complicated future," he tweeted.
"Now consider the timeline of the Women’s Reservation Bill that passed in Rajya Sabha in 2010 in the old Parliament building to understand how Parliamentary democracy used to function.
May 06, 2008: Bill Introduced in Rajya Sabha:
May 09, 2008: Bill referred to Standing Committee
December 17, 2009: Standing Committee report submitted.
February, 2010: Union Cabinet approves the Women’s Reservation Bill
March 9, 2010: Bill passed in Rajya Sabha.
In the case of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. It was introduced yesterday i.e. September 19, 2023 in the new Parliament building, after a Cabinet meeting on September 18, 2023 before the commencement of an urgently called Special Session. The Bill is likely to be passed in both Houses soon, all in the space of a few days.
CONCLUSION:
PM could have got the Women’s Reservation Bill passed 9 years earlier with the 2010 Bill that had already been scrutinised by a Standing Committee, instead of calling it Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023. But he never had the intention to do it.
He thought of Nari Shakti ONLY when his and his party's electoral prospects started dimming by the day. He demonstrates tremendous urgency in passing the Bill but has found a jumla mechanism to ensure it is NOT implemented for the 2024 elections.
In April 1942, Mahatma Gandhi famously said of the British offer of Indian independence after the end of World War II, ‘it is a post-dated cheque drawn on a failing bank’. This is the only and appropriate description of what the Prime Minister has done with women’s reservation," the Congress leader added.
Sessions of Both Houses Resume
The sessions of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha resumed at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, 20 September.
Sonia Gandhi Addresses Lok Sabha on Women's Reservation Bill
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi addressed the debate on the Women's Reservation Bill, also termed as the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam', in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, 20 September.
"We support the Women's Reservation Bill," she said.
"For the first time, Constitutional amendment to decide women's representation in local body election was brought by my life partner Rajiv Gandhi. It was defeated in Rajya Sabha by seven votes. Later, Congress government, under the leadership of PM PV Narasimha Rao, passed it in Rajya Sabha. As a result, we have 15 lakh elected women leaders across the country through local bodies. Rajiv Gandhi's dream is only partially complete. It will complete with the passing of this Bill," she said.
"Congress party supports this Bill. We are happy regarding the passing of the Bill but we are also concerned. I would like to ask a question. Indian women have been waiting for their political responsibilities for the last 13 years. Now, women are being asked to wait for the reservation more. How many years will they wait? Two years? Four years? six years? Eight years? Is this right? The Congress demands that this Bill be implemented immediately but there should be a caste census and the women of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBC must be given reservation too. The government should take all necessary steps for this," Gandhi said.
'Women's Reservation is Necessary, So is Caste Census': Nitish Kumar
"Women's Reservation is necessary and we have been demanding it since the beginning. They will not implement it so what they had to do should have been done. We have told them to do a caste-based census, we have demanded this," said Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on the Women's Reservation Bill.
'How Could Census Been Conducted After COVID?': Nishikant Dubey
Responding to Sonia Gandhi's demand of caste-based census and questions on delay of a census in the country, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said: "In 2020 and 2021, we were dealing with COVID-19. How could a census have been done?"
'How Long Should We Wait for the Bill to be Implemented?': Kanimozhi
Addressing the Lok Sabha, DMK MP Kanimozhi said that the women's reservation Bill should be implemented immediately.
"This is not mere reservation. This is an act to remove bias," she said.
"I myself have raised this issue of bringing the Reservation Bill many times in Parliament. To many of my starred and unstarred questions, the Govt's reply was very consistent. They said that they have to involve all stakeholders, political parties and then build a consensus before bringing the Bill. I would like to know what consensus was built. What discussions were held. This Bill was brought shrouded in secrecy. We did not know what this session was called for," she said.
"Don't just salute us, we don't want to be put on pedestals. We want to be treated as equals," she added.
'Unfortunate': Congress MP KC Venugopal on Preamble Amendment
"How can it be? What's in their mind is reflected through their actions. Now, the Preamble and the Constitution have been amended. The most important words Socialist, Secular were avoided in the Preamble. It is clearly the message that the Government is giving... It is totally unfortunate," said Congress MP KC Venugopal told news agency ANI.
'OBCs Should Be Included': Farooq Abdullah on Women's Reservation
On the Women's Reservation Bill, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah told news agency ANI: "I think it is a wonderful Bill. For a long time, 15 years we have been waiting for women to get their rights. The only thing I say is that OBCs should also be included in that. All women must get power, that is important. India is also for them as for men."
'Devil in the Detail': Harsimrat Kaur Badal
Speaking on the Women's Reservation Bill, SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that the government should not have brought a Bill if it did not intend to implement it.
"Devil in the detail came across. The census was to be held in 2021 and now 2023 is about to end and it hasn't been done yet and we don't know when will it happen. After the census, delimitation will take place and then this Reservation Bill will be implemented. Why did you bring this Bill when you're not implementing it? This male-dominated Parliament betrayed women and today also it was a betray," she told news agency ANI.
'Alluring Women for Upcoming Elections': Mayawati
On Women's Reservation Bill BSP chief Mayawati said that it has been brought to allure women before the upcoming elections.
"According to this bill the reservation will not be provided to women in the country in the coming 15-16 years. After the passing of this bill, it wouldn't be implemented immediately. First, a census in the country would be conducted and after this delimitation of seats would be done. A census takes a lot of time. After this, only this bill would be implemented," she said in a media address.
'Why Special Session If Bill is Not Going to be Implemented?': Supriya Sule
Addressing the Lok Sabha on the Women's Reservation Bill, NCP MP Supriya Sule said: "The BJP was taking anticipatory bail by making Nishikant Dubey speak, Why not give reservation to SC/ST and OBC women? Let the message go from this House that the government supports SC/ST and OBCs."
"Nishikant Dubey said that INDIA is on the side of people who ran women down and spoke derogatorily...There was a Head of the BJP in Maharashtra. He told me personally on record on television - 'Supriya Sule ghar jaao, khana banao, desh koi aur chala lega. Hum log chalayenge.' This is what the BJP's mindset is," she said.
"The dates for both census and delimitation are intermittent. Them why has this session been called? What is the need of this special session?" she asked.
'Women's Reservation Bill a Sham': Mahua Moitra
Addressing the Lok Sabha on Women's Reservation Bill, TMC MP challenged the BJP to implement the Bill immediately and send 33% women from the party to the Parliament.
"Today, it is both my pride and my shame that I stand here as a woman in India's Parliament speaking on Women's Reservation Bill. It is my pride that I belong to the All India Trinamool Congress that sends 37 per cent women among its members to Parliament," she said.
'Thank Sonia Gandhi For...': Smriti Irani
Referring to Sonia Gandhi's address earlier on Wednesday, Union Minister Smriti Irani said: "I would like to thank the leader for clarifying that the amendment for the Bill was brought by PV Narsimha Rao."
She also said that the Opposition is misleading the country on the Bill by demanding reservation for backward classes.
"The Congress had proposed women's quota for not more than 15 years, but BJP guarantees reservation of seats for women. I express my gratitude towards PM Modi and Law Minister (Arjun Ram Meghwal) who didn't allow this desire of the Congress to become a reality," she said.
'Hopes Dashed in 24 Hours': Harsimrat Kaur Badal
Addressing the Lok Sabha, SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that women waited for 75 years only for their hopes to be dashed as the reservation won't get implemented till census and delimitation is completed.
'Modi Govt Wants to Increase Representation for Savarna Women': Owaisi
"On behalf of my party I stand to oppose this legislation," said AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi in Lok Sabha.
He further added that, "the justification being given for this legislation is to ensure that more women get elected in the parliament and state assemblies. Why is that justification not being extended to OBC and Muslim women?"
"Muslim women are 7 percent of the population but there are only 0.7 percent Muslim women in Lok Sabha. We know for a fact that the annual drop out rate of Muslim women is 19 percent, while it is 12 percent for other women. Nearly half of the Muslim women are illiterate. This Modi government wants to increase representation for Savarna women," he added.
'Not Opposing Bill, Duty to Give Suggestions': Adhir Ranjan
Speaking to news agency ANI, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said: "The Bill should be passed. It is our duty to give suggestions apart from supporting the Bill. We want to give suggestions to the govt...Nobody opposed the Bill in the Parliament."
'Include Backward Classes in the Bill': Dimple Yadav
Speaking on the women's reservation Bill, SP MP Dimple Yadav said: "If the government's intention is positive and if they think that women should get their rights and respect, then we demand that women of minority and backward class are also included in it.
"I have asked questions about when the census would happen and if the caste-based census would take place. I also asked when the delimitation process will take place because both are related to each other. The Women's Reservation Bill is dependent on both of these," she told news agency ANI.
'Support Women's Bill But Need Caste Census': Rahul Gandhi
"There is one thing in my view that makes this Bill incomplete. I think OBC reservation should have been included in this Bill," Rahul Gandhi said.
"There are also two things that seem strange to me - one is the idea that you require a new census and the second is that you required a new delimitation to implement this Bill," he added.
He also questioned why President Droupadi Murmu was absent from the events for the inauguration new Parliament.
"The moment the Opposition raises the issue of caste census, the BJP tries to distract the people with the new issue so that the OBCs and the rest of the people look away," he said.
"First pass and implement the women's reservation Bill. There is no need of the census," he said.
Gandhi also demanded that a caste census be conducted in the country.
Amit Shah Addresses Lok Sabha on Women's Reservation
Addressing the Lok Sabha on women's reservation, Union Minister Amit Shah said: "For PM Modi and the government, women's reservation is not about politics, it's about recognition."
Responding to Rahul Gandhi's claims of OBCs being sidelined over women's reservation Bill, Shah said that 29% BJP MPs are from the OBC community.
PM Modi Arrives in Parliament
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Lo Sabha as the House discusses Nari Shakti Bill.
Lok Sabha Passes Women's Reservation Bill with 454 Votes
After heated debates on the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' (NSVA) or the Bill for women's reservation in the Parliament the Lok Sabha passed the Bill with 454 votes.
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Published: 20 Sep 2023,09:12 AM IST