The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed 128th Constitution Amendment Bill to enact Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam meant for providing 1/3rd seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies with an overwhelming majority. Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah announced that census and delimitation exercise, keys to implement the reservation, will soon take place after 2024 elections.

This is the first Bill passed by the Lok Sabha in the new Parliament building.

As it is a Bill to amend the Constitution, it was put for voting by division. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced that 454 members voted in the favour of the bill, while 2 members voted against. Rules require that such a bill need to be passed by special majority, which is 2/3rd of members present and voted.

The Bill proposes 1/3rd reservation for women from three categories of members in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies including assembly of Delhi: General, Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes. Going by the provisions of the Bill, it will be rolled out only after census and delimitation exercise is completed which, in effect, pushes it at least until 2029.

Earlier, intervening in the debate on the Bill, Home Minister Amit Shah brushed aside apprehensions of a delay in the Bill’s implementation. “The next government will conduct the census and the delimitation exercise immediately after the (general) election and set in motion the process to make reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies a reality,” he said, thus indicating women’s reservation will become a reality after 2029. Next general election is due next year.

‘Fifth attempt’

Shah said this was the fifth attempt to push a Bill for women’s reservation. “Why did it fail to clear hurdles earlier? First, it was brought by HD Deve Gowda government in 1996. It lapsed. Second time, it was brought by the government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In 2008, a Bill was brought by the UPA. It also lapsed after the dissolution of the then Lok Sabha.

Earlier, extending her party’s support to the Women’s Reservation Bill, Congress parliamentary party Chief Sonia Gandhi demanded that the quota be implemented immediately and SC, ST and OBC women also be given reservation following a caste census.

Initiating the debate on the Bill from the opposition’s side, Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha that any delay in bringing the reservation into effect would be “gross injustice” to Indian women.

“Rajiv Gandhi’s dream is only half fulfilled. It will be fulfilled with the passage of this Bill. The Congress supports this Bill. We will be happy with the passage of this Bill, but we also have a concern. For the last 13 years Indian women are waiting for their political responsibilities, and now they are being asked to wait for a few more years — two years, four years, six years, eight years,” the former Congress Chief said.

Quota for OBCs

Later, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi batted for its immediate implementation, adding that the legislation is “incomplete” without provision for quota for OBCs. He also made a strong pitch for a caste census.

Participating in the debate, DMK leader Kanimozhi said the Women’s Reservation Bill is not about reservation, but an “act of removing bias and injustice,” while asserting that women want to be respected as equals. Her colleague and TMC MP from West Bengal Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar alleged that the Modi government has made a “sinister” move by linking the implementation of the women’s reservation bill with the completion of the next population census and delimitation exercise.