BRS MLC K Kavitha flags "omissions" in Women's Reservation Bill

HYDERABAD: As the Women's Reservation Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha, marking a legislative landmark for the country, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha, one of the key advocates for legislation providing a fairer representation of women in law-making bodies, on Wednesday called it a major step in ensuring stronger and more significant participation of women in the political process. However, while hailing the passage of the Women's quota Bill, she added that the exclusion of an "OBC sub-quota" from the draft legislation was "painful".

The daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao wrote to the supremos of 47 political parties, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, earlier, calling on them to set aside political differences and prioritise the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the ongoing Special Session of Parliament, which began on Monday.

Earlier, in March, the BRS MLC sat on a hunger strike, demanding the tabling and passage of the bill. After the Bill was passed by a brute majority in the Lower House, Kavitha, speaking to ANI, said, "I congratulate all fellow citizens, especially women, on the passage of this Bill. This marks a major step in terms of achieving better participation of women in the political process. This law will certainly contribute to boosting the democratic foundations of the country. Since we are the world's largest democracy, the involvement of more women members in parliamentary debates would elavate the quality of the discourse."

On the non-provision of an OBC sub-quota in the draft legislation, she said, "There are a couple of ommissions that catch one's eye. Not providing a sub-quota for OBC women is painful. They should have added a sub-quota in the Bill as it would ensured a similar representation of women from backward classes in the legislative process," she said.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, was passed after a reply to the motion for passage by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

The Bill was passed with 454 members voting in favour of the legislation and two against it.

The individual clauses of the draft legislation were also voted on. Speaker Om Birla announced the eventual passage of the Bill in the Lower House. The 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' was the first Bill passed by Lok Sabha after it shifted to the new Parliament building on Tuesday.

The Bill was passed by a majority of the total membership of the House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of the House “present and voting”.

The division was carried out through the distribution of slips. Meghwal said “history” was being made with the passage of the bill. Rejecting the opposition’s criticism about the delay in the implementation of provisions of the Bill, Meghwal said that the bill ensures transparency.

The bill was passed after a day-long debate which was initiated by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. Intervening in the debate, Home Minister Amit Shah also rejected the opposition’s contention and said the bill will follow due procedure and seats which are to be reserved will be decided by the Delimitation Commission.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 is expected to be taken up by the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

The Rajya Sabha had earlier passed the Women’s Reservation Bill in 2010 during the Congress-led UPA government but it was not taken up in the Lok Sabha and subsequently lapsed in the lower House of Parliament.

The government introduced the new bill on Tuesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing the government’s intention to bring 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam'. The Special Session of Parliament began on Monday and will continue till Friday.