PM Modi advocates Women’s Reservation Bill in New Parliament, Labels it as Sacred Duty

New Delhi: In the second day of Parliament’s special session, coinciding with the inauguration of the new Parliament building, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphatically endorsed the women’s reservation bill during his opening address. Declaring his selection for this task as “chosen by God,” he emphasized the need for a heightened focus on women-centric development. The bill, recently approved by the Union Cabinet and presented today, aims to provide 33% reservation for women in both parliament and state legislatures, a move praised by the Prime Minister as a positive step towards gender inclusivity.

Prime Minister Modi took the opportunity to critique previous administrations, insinuating that past governments, particularly those led by the Congress, had faltered in pushing this crucial bill forward. He proudly asserted that history was being made under his leadership.

“The bill was tabled multiple times in Atalji’s (the late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee) tenure… (now) God has chosen me for this pious task,” proclaimed the Prime Minister, addressing criticisms of the government’s timing in presenting the bill, potentially for electoral image enhancement.

Earlier, he had referred to the passing of the bill as an “agni pareeksha” or trial by fire, underscoring the significance of this legislation for MPs.

The Lok Sabha is scheduled to discuss the bill on Wednesday, followed by a debate in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. However, debates around the allocation of quotas for women within those reserved for SC and ST communities have historically hindered the progress of this bill. Despite having cleared the Rajya Sabha in 2010, it eventually lapsed when not taken up by the Lok Sabha within the stipulated timeframe.

This time, given the Bharatiya Janata Party’s substantial majority in the Lok Sabha and allied support in the Rajya Sabha, the bill is poised to become law. Nevertheless, the quota might not be enforceable until 2029, awaiting crucial data from a pending census and the subsequent delimitation exercise, slated for 2027.

In the spirit of new beginnings within the new Parliament building, Prime Minister Modi also offered apologies to anyone unintentionally or intentionally hurt, aligning this gesture with the Jain festival of Samvatsari.