- Prime Minister Modi seeks support for the Women's Reservation Bill in a special Parliament session
- Congress chief Kharge criticises government for lack of details on bill implementation and delimitation
- The bill reserves one-third of legislative seats for women and was passed in Parliament in 2023
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's letter to all parties, seeking support for the passage of an amendment to the Women's Reservation Bill, has drawn a sharp response from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The veteran Congressman has said the government is seeking the opposition's cooperation without revealing details about the legislation. This, Kharge has said, reinforces the opposition's belief that the Centre is hurrying to implement the Bill to "gain political mileage rather than truly empower women".
Women's Reservation Bill, or Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, provides for one-third reservation for women in legislative bodies. It was passed in Parliament in 2023. A proposed legislation seeks to delink its implementation from the 2027 Census and base it on the 2011 Census to ensure it comes into force before the 2029 general election. A Special Session of Parliament has been convened next week to deliberate on the Women's Reservation (Amendment) Bill.
"From April 16, a historic discussion related to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is set to take place in Parliament. This special sitting is an opportunity to further strengthen our democracy. It is also a moment to reiterate our collective commitment to moving forward together, taking everyone along. I am writing this letter to you with this spirit and purpose," the Prime Minister has said in his letter to all parties.
The Prime Minister said lawmakers across party lines supported the Bill in 2023. "It was a memorable moment that reflected our unity. The entire world witnessed how a major decision was taken collectively to fulfil a commitment to the women of the country. Women represent nearly half of our population, and this was a strong step towards enhancing their participation in the political domain. I consider that day an important and inspiring milestone in India's Parliamentary journey," he said.
"After extensive deliberations, we have reached the conclusion that the time has now come to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in its true spirit across the country. It is imperative that the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections are conducted with women's reservation in place. This will infuse new energy into India's democratic institutions and strengthen public trust. It will also ensure greater participation and representation in governance," he said.
Urging MPs to back the amendment, he said, "It would be great to have many Members of Parliament express their views on this subject in Parliament. This is a moment above any one party or individual. It is a moment to demonstrate responsibility towards women and our future generations. Since all political parties have expressed the desire to increase women's representation in politics for a long time, this is the right time to turn that aspiration into reality."
In his response, Kharge said that when the Parliament passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in 2023, the Congress had demanded that the important law become effective immediately.
"It has been 30 months since then, and now this special sitting has been called without taking us into confidence and your government is seeking our cooperation again without revealing any details on the delimitation going to be done. You will appreciate that without details of the delimitation and other aspects, it would be impossible to have any useful discussion on this historic law," he wrote.
'You mention in your letter that your government has engaged in dialogue with political parties regarding this. However, I am pained to point out that this goes against the truth since all the Opposition parties have been urging the Government to call an All-Party meeting after the current round of elections is over on 29th 2026 to discuss the Constitution amendments being contemplated," Kharge added.
"The calling of a special sitting during the ongoing state elections only reinforces our belief that your government is hurrying the implementation of the bill to gain political mileage rather than truly empower women," he said.
The Congress president wrote that the government's record in matters of public importance, including demonetisation, GST, Census or those linked to the federal structure, does not inspire confidence. "The constitutional amendments being planned will affect both the Centre and the states and it is important that all parties and states, however small they may be, are heard in a democracy," he said.
"If the special sitting is meant to 'strengthen our democracy' and 'moving forward together', taking everyone along as you write in the letter, then I would suggest that the government convene an All-Party meeting any time after April 29th to discuss the delimitation issue which is being linked to the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023," he said.
