The long-standing Women Reservation Bill Introduced in New Parliament

The Women's Reservation Bill, which had been pending for decades, has finally been tabled in Parliament. The bill, named the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam,' proposes a 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State legislatures, including the Delhi Assembly. The government convened a special session starting on the 18th of September in the new Parliament building. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha in the new building.

Making his first speech in the new parliament, the Prime Minister said, "The discussion on the Women's Reservation Bill has been ongoing for a long time. During Atal Bihari Vajpayee's regime, the Women's Reservation Bill was introduced several times, but there was not enough majority to pass the bill, and because of this, this dream remained incomplete. Today, fate has given me the opportunity to move this forward. Our government is introducing a new bill today on women's participation in both Houses."

The key Provisions of the Women’s Reservation Bill:

• 33% of the total seats in Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies, and the Delhi assembly are reserved for women.

• One-third of the seats are also reserved for women from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes within this quota.

• These recommendations will come into effect after the next delimitation exercise following the publication of the figures from the next census, meaning that the bill cannot be implemented in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

• The bill also includes a provision for the rotation of seats after each subsequent delimitation exercise.

• However, the bill does not provide for reservation for women belonging to the OBC category, and it does not extend to the Rajya Sabha and the state Legislative Councils.

• Furthermore, the bill does not provide a separate quota for SC/ST women; instead, it combines them with the existing quota for SC/ST, meaning that one-third of the SC/ST MPs will be women.

• The bill was first introduced in 1996 but was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010. However, it lapsed in the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha is a permanent house, so the bill does not lapse there. Still, the life of a bill is synchronous with the Lok Sabha since the Lok Sabha dissolves after every five years or with the collapse of the government.

• According to constitutional experts, this bill, which has already been passed in the Rajya Sabha, will need approval from 50% of the State Assemblies in the country after passing in both houses, as this bill affects the rights of the states.

• Some experts believe that these long-standing reservations will be implemented in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, while others assert that it will be implemented after 2031

Opposition divided on the bill; Demand for Quota for OBC Women Raised

The bill, which has faced vehement opposition from parties led by SC/ST/OBC leaders, has been dismissed for its lack of inclusion. BSP supremo Mayawati demanded that the quota for women should be increased to 50%, and there should also be a separate quota for women belonging to SC/ST/OBC categories; otherwise, there will be a grave injustice to these sections. However, she maintained that even if her demands are not met, she would still support the bill.

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav took to social media to voice his opposition to the bill, saying, "There should be a balance between gender justice and social justice. There should be clear reservations for women belonging to Pichda, Dalit, Alpasankhyak (PDA)."

While Samajwadi MP Dimple Yadav said ”I support the bill but the women standing last in the line should also get reservation. The OBC women should also get reservation.”

Vanchit Bahujan AghadiPresident  Prakash Ambedkar said “This 'incomplete' Bill is an eye-wash. This Bill excludes women. In reality, Manu lies in the DNA of the BJP-RSS.”