Introduce Women’s Reservation Bill Immediately: CPI-M to Govt

The 108th Constitution Amendment Bill, commonly known as Women’s Reservation Bill, was introduced by the UPA-I in 2008 but was allowed to lapse because of lack of consensus among political parties.

Women gather in New Delhi to demand that parliament pass a bill guaranteeing them 33% of seats in the male-dominated national and state assemblies Credit: Reuters/Nita Bhalla/Files

New Delhi: The government should immediately come up with the Women’s Reservation Bill to reserve 33% seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies, demanded CPI-M member P.K.S. Teacher during the zero hour in the Lok Sabha Friday.

Members cutting across party lines associated themselves with the demand raised by Teacher.

The CPI-M member accused the BJP-led NDA government of not fulfilling its commitment of pursuing the Women’s Reservation Bill.

The government should immediately come up with the Bill which has been pending for over 25 years, said Teacher.

Watch: BJP Has The Numbers to Pass The Women’s Reservation Bill, So Why The Foot-Dragging?

TRS member APJ Reddy, BJD member B. Mahtab and others associated themselves with Teacher’s demand of immediate enactment of the Bill so that 33% seats in parliament and state assemblies could be reserved for women.

The 108th Constitution Amendment Bill, commonly known as Women’s Reservation Bill, was introduced by the UPA-I in 2008 but was allowed to lapse because of lack of consensus among political parties.

Similar attempts were made unsuccessfully in the 1990s to provide reservation to women in parliament and state assemblies.

Raising the issue of agrarian distress, Prem Singh Chandumajra (SAD) demanded that parliament should discuss the problems being faced by farmers.

He said the wrong policies of the government have led to the agrarian crisis and there was an urgent need to reform them with a view to ensure that farming becomes a profitable activity.

Some members also suggested that the government should increase the minimum support price of rice to help farmers.