Lok Sabha on September 19, in the new Parliament building saw a to and fro between leader of the Congress legislative party, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Mr. Chowdhury said that the United Progressive Alliance’s Bill for Women’s Reservation in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies cleared in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 was still alive. Mr. Shah refuted this claim by stating that the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha, had effectively led to the lapse of the Bill.
The National Democratic Alliance government on Tuesday had introduced a constitutional amendment Bill to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and State assemblies for women, reviving a Bill pending for 27 years for want of consensus among parties.
Speaking in the first session of the Lok Sabha in the new Parliament building, Mr. Chowdhury said a women’s reservation Bill was first brought in 1989 by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to ensure one-third reservation in local body elections.
“The Bill that came during Manmohan Singh’s tenure was passed by the Rajya Sabha and hence is still alive. The CWC [Congress Working Committee] resolution has spoken about this... Even Sonia Gandhi has written to Prime Minister [Narendra Modi]. We reiterate our demand for a women’s reservation Bill,” Mr. Chowdhury said.
Countering Mr. Chowdhury’s claims Mr. Shah said that the former had made “two factually incorrect statements” and he should provide documents to validate his claims or withdraw his statement.
The Home Minister said that the Women’s Reservation Bill was never passed by the Lok Sabha. Secondly, the old Bill is not pending in the Lok Sabha as it had lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014, he said.
“What Adhir Ji said is factually incorrect. The old Bill has lapsed. If he has any supporting document to prove what he said he should table it in the Lok Sabha or withdraw his statement,” he said.
Mr. Shah also asked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to remove the statement from record if Chowdhury is unable to provide supporting documents.
Later, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the constitutional amendment Bill, Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, to reserve one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and State assemblies for women.
Speaking on the Bill, Mr. Meghwal said the number of women members in the 543-member Lok Sabha will rise to 181, from 82 currently, after the law comes into force.
In May 2008, the Manmohan Singh government brought the Bill in the Rajya Sabha. It was then referred to Standing Committee and then in March 2010 it was passed by the Rajya Sabha. Then it was reported to the Lok Sabha and became a property of the Lok Sabha, he added.
Mr. Meghwal also claimed that the Congress-led government at that time deliberately did not pass the Bill.
