In accordance with the Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Women Reservation Bill of 2008, women would be given a third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. The State Legislatures and the Parliament will decide how to distribute the reserved seats.
Women from these communities would be given one-third of the seats allotted to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
In different state or union territory constituencies, reserved seats may be distributed via rotation.
After 15 years from the date of this amendment act’s implementation, the seats reserved for women will no longer be available.
Women Reservation Bill Key Features
On the reservation policy, there are varying views. Affirmative action is important, according to proponents, in order to elevate women’s position. The distribution of resources and the empowerment of women have both benefited from reservations, according to recent research on local governments.
Women’s uneven standing will continue, according to opponents, since they won’t be given due consideration for their qualifications. Additionally, they contend that this tactic deflects attention from more important political concerns like criminalization and party democracy at the internal level.
Only female candidates are available to voters due to the reservation of seats in parliament. As a result, some scholars have proposed substitute strategies including racial and ethnic discrimination in political parties and dual-member districts.
A Member of Parliament may be discouraged from advocating for their own constituency if reserved seats are rotated at every election since they may lose their right to run from that district again.
After revising the Constitution to permit reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs), it was suggested in the report analyzing the 1996 Women’s Reservation Bill that quota be made available for women in other backward classes (OBCs). Additionally, it advocated for include the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Councils in the reservation plan. None of these suggestions were incorporated into the legislation.
Women Reservation Bill Political Debate:
New Delhi: After seeking OBC and SC reservations under the Women’s Reservation Bill, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has pitted the BJP and opposition leaders against one another during the Lok Sabha discussion on the bill. Mrs. Gandhi highlighted the contributions and accomplishments of Indian women and gave former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi credit for starting local reservations.
He said that Congress demands that the law be implemented as soon as possible. We demand reservation for SC and OBC in addition to SC and ST under the Women’s Reservation Bill. Nishikant Dubey, a member of the BJP, attempted to deflect attention away from this demand and claim credit for the Women’s Bill. “Congress has never previously discussed OBC reservation,” he declared. New topics are now being raised to investigate political elements.
According to the proposed legislation, women will be given 33% of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures. During yesterday’s current extraordinary session of Parliament, it was tabled in the Lok Sabha.
There was a passionate and vigorous debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill during the new session of Parliament, with pointed exchanges. Whether it was Mohua Moitra of the TMC, Supriya Sule of the NCP, or former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, women MPs made the majority of the presentations. Smriti Irani, a union minister, accepted the challenge of speaking out against the opposition on behalf of the ruling party.
Sonia Gandhi, the head of the Congress, passed the Women’s Reservation Bill after deliberation. In Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies, a 33% reserve for women is proposed under the Women’s reserve Bill. The reserve won’t be put into effect until after the 2029 elections, though. Additionally, she pushed for a distinct female quota from other backward classes.
Later, BJP member of parliament Nishikant Dubey spoke out in support of the governing BJP party. The opposition harshly denounced this action. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a leader in the Congress, cut off Nishikant Dubey’s speech. Amit Shah, the home minister, mocked them by joking, “Can’t men speak on women’s issues?”
Women Reservation Bill Focusing on single politician:
‘Is such behaviour with Indian women appropriate?,’ asks Sonia Gandhi
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi spoke in the Assembly and backed the legislation. However, she insisted that the reservation be put into effect right once and that OBC women should also be given a reservation.
Gandhi stated in the Lok Sabha that any delay in enacting the reservation would be a “gross injustice” to Indian women as the opposition’s opening statement during the bill’s discussion.
“Rajiv Gandhi’s dream has so far only been partially realized. It will be finished when this measure is passed. The bill is supported by Congress. The passing of this measure will make us delighted, but we also have certain reservations. I have a question for you. Indian women have been waiting for their political duties for the past 13 years, and now they are being urged to wait for a few more years — two, four, six, or eight years, according to the former Congress head.
She said, “The demand of the Indian National Congress is that the bill be implemented immediately… but along with it, there should also be a provision for reservation for SC, ST, and OBC women through a caste census.”
‘Not the historic bill that is being touted as, it is a sham,’ strikes Mahua Moitra
“I am speaking on the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Indian Parliament, which fills me with both pride and shame. Being a member of the All India Trinamool Congress, a party that sent 37% of its members who were women to the Parliament, makes me proud. But I regret that I am speaking from the Lok Sabha, where there are just 15% women, which is much lower than the world average of 26.5% and even lower than the Asian regional average of 21%,” she remarked.
As she continued, Moitra said, “As this government thumps its chest on rankings in various global indices, it should bow its head in shame that the Indian Parliament ranks 140th out of 196 in the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s table on Women’s Reservation.”
Note: The Women’s Reservation Bill implementation delays are most likely the subject of Mahua Moitra’s allusion to “legally mandated delay propaganda.” She seems to be criticizing the administration for exploiting legal procedures to postpone the bill’s passage.
‘They say success has many fathers and failure has none,’ says Smriti Irani
Union Minister Smriti Irani blasted everyone for claiming credit for the law and poked fun at the Congress party in her response to the opposition on Wednesday.
“They say that success has many fathers and failure has none,” Smriti Irani stated. In light of this, when the measure was introduced, some people referred to it as “our bill,” while others claimed to have sent letters in support of it. She took part in the Lok Sabha’s discussion on the bill.
She also criticized Sonia Gandhi for claiming credit for the legislation. When this measure was first submitted, several individuals said it was “our bill,” the speaker stated. Sonia Gandhi, a renowned leader, addressed the house, but I am very appreciative. The 73rd and 74th constitutional changes were enacted by P.V. Narasimha Rao, despite the frequent claims that a certain family was responsible. P.V. Narasimha Rao received no homage upon his passing. Irani stated, “At the party headquarters.
She went on to say, “Sonia Gandhi had said in an article about the proposed bill that ‘there will be no reserved seats for SC/ST women in the third general elections… but this bill brought by the government guarantees reservation for women for up to 15 years.'”
She also criticized the Congress party for calling the bill a ‘jumla’ (a political promise that is not fulfilled) and said that those who call it a ‘jumla’ and claim that it happened because they wrote several letters, at least admitted that they (PM Modi) insulted them.
“Today, those who called it a ‘jumla’ and claimed it occurred because they sent out numerous letters, at least admitted that they (PM Modi) insulted them, but they read each of their communications and discussed it with them,” Smriti Irani added.