All eyes remain on Parliament’s special session after the women’s reservation bill was tabled and debated on Thursday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging broad political backing in the Lok Sabha. The issue has already triggered a sharp political face-off. The BJP hailed the move as a “historic” step, while opposition parties accused the government of dragging its feet on notifying and implementing the law, alleging it was being used to advance an “unconstitutional” delimitation exercise.
The Women’s Reservation Act, 2023 – which mandates a 33% quota for women in legislatures – was brought into force on Thursday, even as key questions around its rollout continue to dominate the debate.
Here’s all you need to know about the bill and the proposed amendment.
What is this bill?
The Women’s Reservation Bill, also called the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam or The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, was first introduced in 2023. Though it was passed unanimously, it was not implemented due to delays in the census process.
The 2023 legislation aims to reserve 33 per cent (one-third) of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. The bill also seeks to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 815, of which 273 seats will be reserved for women.
If the bill was passed in 2023, why is it being discussed now?
The Women Reservation Act 2023 was passed in 2023, but it did not come into force due to delay in census process.
The question now arises: if this bill was already passed in 2023, why was it not implemented earlier, and why is Parliament discussing the matter again?
To simply answer the question above, an official told PTI that the bill became a law in 2023 but did not become part of the Constitution as the government did not bring it into force.
Now, the government wants to amend the bill, linking it’s implementation to the delimitation exercise based on the next census.
To implement the proposed amendments in the Act, the Act needs to officially come into force. Hence, it was brought into force with effect from April 16.
Why is the opposition against it?
The opposition says that the women’s bill is being linked to the delimitation bill, which will redraw parliamentary and assembly constituencies. Southern states are most wary of the bill, saying it may reduce their representation in Parliament.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the bill, saying the opposition will “not allow Parliament to be hijacked by flawed delimitation bills disguised as the Women’s Reservation Bill.”
“We stand united and will fight this devious assault on our democracy with all our strength,” he wrote in a post on X.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also explained the opposition’s concern, saying: “The government has a plan to re-delimit constituencies and increase seats in areas where the ruling party is strong.”
“And they are using women’s reservation as an excuse to bring about that change… by trying to amend the constitutional amendments that they had already brought in 2023.”
What is the government saying?
The government argues that it is important to link the two bills in order to implement the 33 per cent reservation plan for women by 2029, when the next Lok Sabha elections will be held.
It is to be noted that even after the proposed amendment in the bill is passed (which links the delimitation exercise to the reservation), the reservation cannot be implemented in the current House. It will be implemented only after carrying out a delimitation exercise based on the next census, an official said, PTI reported.
PM Modi’s address to Lok Sabha
In his address to the Lok Sabha, PM Modi emphasized the importance of this bill, saying “we are 30 years too late” in its passage. He made a strong argument in favour of the bill, saying that its passage will aid India’s push towards Viksit Bharat.
“A developed India does not mean only good infrastructure but also participation of women in policymaking,” he said.
He also warned the opposition, saying that those who oppose the bill will not be spared by the women of this country.
“As a friend – I have some advice for those opposing this — everybody who has objected to reservation for women in any field hasn’t been spared by women,” said Modi, adding that the women’s reservation bill should not be given a political narrative.
