Hyderabad, Sep 17 (UNI) AICC General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) which met on Saturday here, has demanded that the Women’s Reservation Bill must be passed during the Special Session of Parliament.
The special Parliament session will be convened from September 18 to 22.
The Congress party has for the past nine years been demanding that the Women’s Reservation Bill already passed by the Rajya Sabha should now get passed by the Lok Sabha as well, Jairam Ramesh said while sharing on ‘X’ on platform.
Rajiv Gandhi first introduced Constitution Amendment Bills for one-third reservation in panchayats and nagarpalikas in May 1989. It passed in Lok Sabha but failed in Rajya Sabha in September 1989, Jairam Ramesh said on ‘ X’ ( formerly known as Twitter) platform.
Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao reintroduced Constitution Amendment Bills for one-third reservation for women in panchayats and nagarpalikas in April 1993, but Bills passed and became law, he said.
Now ,there are more than 15 lakh elected women representatives in panchayats and nagarpalikas. This comes to about 40 per cent , he said on social media platform.
As PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh brought the Constitution Amendment Bill for one-third reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures. Bill passed on March 9, 2010 in the Rajya Sabha. But it was not taken up in Lok Sabha, he said.
Bills introduced/ passed in Rajya Sabha do not lapse. Women’s Reservation Bill is still very much active, Jairam Ramesh added.
It may be mentioned here that the BRS MLC K Kavitha had earlier made an appeal to 47 political parties, including the BJP and Congress, urging them to unite and pass the long-awaited Women’s Reservation Bill in the upcoming special session of Parliament.
In a letter addressed to the leaders separately, kavitha, the daughter of Chief Minister K.Chandrashekhar Rao )KCR), called upon them to set aside political differences and prioritise the passage of the Bill saying increased women’s representation is not a matter of exclusivity but a means to build a more equitable and balanced political landscape.
