Two days before the monsoon session of Parliament gets under way, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Extending the Congress’s support to the government, Mr. Gandhi said he was submitting the signatures of 3.2 million Indians who are supporting the Bill.
He said that if the Bill was passed in the coming session, then women could participate more meaningfully in the 2019 election.
“Mr. Prime Minister, in many of your public rallies, you have spoken about your passion for empowering women and involving them more meaningfully in public life. What better way to demonstrate your commitment to the cause of women, than by offering your unconditional support to the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill? And what better time, than the upcoming session of Parliament? Any further delay will make it impossible to implement the law before the next general election,” he said in the letter.
He said when the Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on March 9, 2010, the then Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley had described it as ‘historic.” But with the Bill being stalled for over eight years now, Mr. Gandhi said even though the Congress has been unwavering in its support, the BJP may have had second thoughts since the 2014 election promise.
“For the sceptics in your party who oppose the passage of this transformational (proposed) legislation, I would appreciate you pointing out to them that our nation’s experience with governance at the panchayat and municipal levels, has clearly shown that women in leadership positions are more likely, than their male counterparts, to take decisions that further the cause of an inclusive and just society...,” he said.