New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to approve the Women's Reservation Bill, ensuring 33% reservation for women, in Parliament soon.
'Request you to take advantage of your majority in Lok Sabha to get the Women's Reservation Bill passed,” wrote Mrs Gandhi in a letter to the PM.
Back in 2010, when Congress was in power, the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha.
“Since then, however, it has languished in the Lok Sabha for one reason or another,” writes the Congress chief.
I am writing to request you to take advantage of your majority in the Lok Sabha to now get the Women’s Reservation Bill passed in the Lower House as well. The Congress Party has always and will continue to support this legislation which will be a significant step forward in the empowerment of women. You may recall that it was, in fact, the Congress Party and its late leader Shri Rajiv Gandhi who first mooted the provision for reservation for women in panchayats and nagarpalikas in the Constitution Amendment Bills which the Opposition parties thwarted in the Rajya Sabha in 1989 but later were passed by both Houses of Parliament in 1993 becoming the 73rd and 74th Amendments.
Currently, the Lok Sabha has just 62 women MPs in a house of 543 members.
If the bill is approved, the Lok Sabha will have more than 150 MPs in the house, drastically improving the position of women in India. Gender equality in the Parliament could stringent laws against discrimination, violence and inequality against women.
Full text of the letter Sonia Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi:
Dear Prime Minister,
You may recall that the Rajya Sabha had passed the Women’s Reservation Bill on March 9, 2010. Since then, however, it has languished in the Lok Sabha for one reason or another.
I am writing to request you to take advantage of your majority in the Lok Sabha to now get the Women’s Reservation Bill passed in the Lower House as well. The Congress Party has always and will continue to support this legislation which will be a significant step forward in the empowerment of women. You may recall that it was, in fact, the Congress Party and its late leader Shri Rajiv Gandhi who first mooted the provision for reservation for women in panchayats and nagarpalikas in the Constitution Amendment Bills which the Opposition parties thwarted in the Rajya Sabha in 1989 but later were passed by both Houses of Parliament in 1993 becoming the 73rd and 74th Amendments.
With Regards,
Yours sincerely,
Sonia Gandhi (Ends)
