In a significant development, various political parties united in their call for the passage of the long-pending women’s reservation bill during the forthcoming five-day Parliament session, which commences on Monday. The government, in response, affirmed that an “appropriate decision will be taken at an appropriate time.” The women’s reservation bill proposes to reserve one-third of all seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women.
During the all-party meeting convened by the government on the eve of the session, numerous leaders voiced their strong support for tabling the bill and expressed hope for its passage through a consensus.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, following the meeting, stated that the government would make a suitable decision regarding the parties’ demand for the bill.
The meeting also included tributes to security forces personnel who lost their lives in Kashmir on September 13. Four security forces personnel, including Colonel Manpreet Singh and Major Ashish Dhonchak, were killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury emphasized that all opposition parties demanded the passage of the women’s reservation bill during this Parliament session.
Praful Patel, a BJP ally and NCP leader, urged the government to pass the bill and expressed hope for its consensus-based approval in Parliament.
Some regional parties, however, called for quotas for backward classes and Scheduled Castes within the overall reservation for women, which has been a key point of contention in the bill’s previous attempts at passage.
BDJ leader Pinaki Misra urged the passing of the women’s reservation bill, suggesting that it should mark the beginning of a new era in the new Parliament building.
Chowdhury emphasized that the government had conveyed that it was a regular session of Parliament, leaving the possibility open for new agendas.
The all-party meeting brought together leaders from various regional and national parties, with representation from government officials including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, and Union Minister Piyush Goyal.
This united push for the women’s reservation bill suggests that the upcoming Parliament session could witness significant progress on this long-pending and crucial legislation.
