Demanding early passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament, activists and politicians across party lines on Monday demanded that the BJP fulfil its promise made in its 2014 election manifesto.

Organised by the DMK women’s wing, the rally was attended by DMK’s MK Kanimozhi, Communist party of India’s D Raja, CPI(M)’s Ranga Rajan, Congress leaders Renuka Chowdhury and Rajni Patel and Nationalist Congress Party leader Supriya Sule, apart from Ranjana Kumari of the National Alliance for the Women’s Reservation Bill.

“It has been three long years since the new government was formed in India, and the Bill has not been discussed in any of the Parliament sessions so far,” said the DMK, adding that this was the “right time” for it to be introduced since the BJP has the required number of MPs to get it passed.

The Bill, which has been pending since 21 years, is a live one that has been passed by Rajya Sabha, can be taken by the present government with a two-third majority, said the party leaders.

“It is time that we make this government accountable to bring the Bill. We, from the DMK Women’s Wing demand 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and State Legislatures,” said Kanimozhi, adding that “it is a right which should be granted to women as per the .”

The rally noted that in the recent elections in the five States , the number of women entrants in the legislative Assemblies was dismal. Out of 2,979 candidates in all the States, there were just 234 women in fray. Studies show that the global average of women in Parliament is 22.40 per cent, and India stands at pitiable 103rd place out of 140 countries, with a mere 12 per cent representation of elected women in Parliament and an average of 9 per cent in State Assemblies.

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