Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is expected to be the main speaker for the Congress party during the Women’s Reservation Bill debate in the Lok Sabha. The bill proposes a 33 percent quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
There is a dispute between Congress and the ruling BJP over who should receive credit for introducing the bill. Congress sees it as an important election promise and wants the 2021 census data released before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The reservation may take several years to become effective, as a similar bill almost passed in 2010.
Sonia Gandhi responded to the bill by asserting that it belongs to Congress. The Union Cabinet approved the Women’s Reservation Bill on Monday, which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury expressed the party’s desire for the swift introduction and passage of the bill. Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary, welcomed the Cabinet’s decision and called for open discussions instead of behind-the-scenes politics.
The Women’s Reservation Bill proposes reserving one-third of seats for women from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies. This reservation will end 15 years after the Amendment Act is enacted.
In 2008, the UPA government introduced the bill in the Rajya Sabha, where it passed in 2010 but was never considered in the Lok Sabha.
