Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi has accused the Women’s Reservation Bill of being a ploy to deceive women before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Atishi, who is responsible for women and child development, pointed out that although there is already reservation at the panchayat and municipality levels, it has not brought about any significant change in the lives of ordinary women. She urged the government to go beyond providing reservation only to elected representatives and instead implement 50% reservation for women in all government jobs.
During a press conference, Atishi criticized the BJP for not prioritizing the well-being and welfare of women. The government introduced a constitutional amendment bill on Tuesday, aiming to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women. This bill had been pending for 27 years due to a lack of consensus among parties. However, Atishi raised concerns over the inclusion of provisions for delimitation and census, indicating that the implementation of women’s reservation may be delayed until after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Atishi emphasized that it is not enough to only provide reservation in Parliament, Vidhan Sabha, municipality, and panchayat. AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha demanded the immediate implementation of reservation for women.