“Will fully cooperate…”: LoP Kharge asks to rectify loopholes in Women’s Reservation Bill

New Delhi [India]: Congress president and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said that the Opposition will fully cooperate with the debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill while questioning the “intentions” of Centre in bringing the same.

He also alleged that the Central government is publicizing the Bill in view of elections. He further insisted on bringing the Bill to implementation and added that the loopholes and drawbacks should be rectified.

“In 2010, we had passed the Bill in Rajya Sabha. But it failed to be passed by the Lok Sabha. That is why, this is not a new Bill. Had they taken that Bill forward, it would have been done quickly by this day.

I feel that they are publicising this in view of elections but actually unless the delimitation or census takes place. You can feel how long it is going to take,” Kharge said.

“They could have continued with the earlier one but their intentions are something else. But we will insist that women’s reservation has to be brought and we will fully cooperate. But the loopholes and drawbacks should be rectified,” he added.

Meanwhile, criticizing the Centre over not including the women belonging to the backward and Scheduled Caste (SC) community, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Wednesday urged the Centre to pass the 2010 Bill in Lok Sabha and start the reservation.

“I challenge that if BJP’s policy and intention are honest, then give a guarantee that women will get a reservation in 2024 elections – we will stand with you with all our strength,” MP Tiwari said.

Tiwari further said, “Are the Backward and SC, not women? How will you go for women’s reservations without including them? I only say that if you were honest, the 2010 Bill that was passed by the Rajya Sabha is still there – you should have passed that in the Lok Sabha and started the reservation.”

Earlier reacting to certain provisions of the bill, Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi had any real intention to prioritise women’s empowerment, the Women’s Reservation Bill would have been implemented immediately.

“If the PM had any real intention to prioritise women’s empowerment, the Women’s Reservation Bill would have been implemented immediately without the ifs and buts and all other conditions. For him and the BJP, this is only an election jumla that delivers nothing concrete,” Jairam Ramesh posted on X (Formerly Twitter).

While calling the Women’s Reservation Bill ‘good’, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said that the party is not criticising the introduction of ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ adding that the party just wants to seek some clarification from the government.

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the bill in the first sitting of Lok Sabha in the new Parliament building on Tuesday.

Arjun Ram Meghwal said that once the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is passed, the number of seats for women in Lok Sabha will increase to 181.

“This historic day of 19th September 2023 is going to be immortal in the history of India,” the Prime Minister underlined. Observing the growing contributions of women in every sector, the Prime Minister emphasized the need for the inclusion of more women in policy-making so that their contributions to the nation increase further,” PM Modi said.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that this day which marks the first day of session in the new Parliament building has been immortalised owing to the introduction of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam or the Women’s Reservation Bill heralding a ‘new chapter’ in India’s parliamentary democracy.

Discussion for passing of the Bill in the House will be taken up today. The Bill will be taken up in Rajya Sabha on September 21, government sources said.