Why Such Great Hurry: Congress Vs BJP In Parliament Over Women's Quota Bill

The implementation of Women's Quota bill appears set to be the next flashpoint between the ruling NDA and the Congress as parliament was adjourned today till April 16. The Congress had objected to what it called a "great hurry" to pass the bill, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge saying the rush to amend the Constitutional Amendment Act -- passed 30 months ago -- appeared politically motivated. "Our initiative should not be viewed as a political manoeuvre. Nor are we undertaking this initiative for the sake of any political gain. We intend to introduce amendments to the Women's Reservation Bill, with the aim of implementing it by 2029," Union minister Kiren Rijiju said.

Parliament will have a extended budget session on April 16, 17 and 18, during which the amended women's quota bill will be passed.  The bill will be a constitution amendment bill, which has to be passed by two-thirds majority. 

The government is planning to pass the bill without holding a fresh delimitation exercise, sources have said. Along with it, there is a proposal to increase the number of seats in parliament by 50 per cent - a move the Congress is vehemently against, citing that it would allow the Hindi-speaking states more of a heft in parliament compared to the southern states. 

In a letter to Kiren Rijiju today, Kharge pointed out that it was the Congress which had originally introduced the women's reservation bill and continues to support it in principle. But the government has "a single-minded objective of passing the Bills before the upcoming Assembly elections," he said.

Reiterating his demand for an all-party meet to discuss the matter, he said it should only be held after April 29, once the election campaigns in the poll-bound states conclude.

"We are all extremely busy with the election campaign. That is the reason why we had suggested that the meeting be held after the campaign is over," he said.

Earlier today, the Rajya Sabha witnessed sharp exchanges, with the Congress claiming the NDA was prioritising political mileage over parliamentary process.

"The government has a single-minded objective of passing the Bills before the upcoming Assembly elections," said Jairam Ramesh, alleging that the move was aimed at securing "political gains".

Later in the day, Union minister Amit Shah, speaking at an event, said: "Some opposition parties have agreed to it, but the Congress is asking for a discussion in May. I fail to understand the reason. We are trying to convince them that if delimitation is a huge exercise in which discussions take place with states, hearings have to be held in each Parliamentary Constituency".

"If the delimitation is not completed, we cannot ensure reservation for women. I don't know what the opposition is thinking, but we religiously want the 2029 elections to be held with women's reservation," he said, appealing to Kharge and the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, to have a discussion on the bill and get it passed.

"If the Congress wants reservations for women in legislative institutions, it should expedite discussions and cooperate in implementing the Nari Shakti Vandan Act as soon as possible... Communication is taking place through letters, but they have urged us not to do it now," he said.

Congress MP Rajeev Shukla said: "It was Sonia Gandhi who first took the initiative regarding women's reservation and, despite facing massive opposition, successfully steered the Women's Reservation Bill to passage. We had suggested that the government take further steps in Parliament regarding this matter after April 29... However, the government chose not to heed the Opposition's counsel."