As Parliament Thursday took up discussion on the early implementation of women’s reservation and a delimitation-related Bill, women MPs across party lines sharply differed over its timing, intent, and impact on states.
DMK Chennai South MP Dr T Sumathy questioned the “hurry” behind the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and its linkage with delimitation, which was “a very heavy blow on the southern states”.
“Why is this being rushed at this time of the year? The DMK has always supported the women’s reservation Bill…we were the ones who had given women rights over property way back in 1989, and in the local bodies, our present chief minister (MK Stalin) has given 50 per cent reservation…there is no doubt that we are for it,” the Lok Sabha MP said.
“But this manoeuvring, delimitation in the garb of the Women Reservation Bill, having this as a facade and bulldozing the other Bill(s), that is a matter of concern and we are only opposing that…the southern states are getting a dangerously reduced number of seats, that means that their share in political power is being drastically cut down, that is what we oppose,” she added.
Congress Karur MP Jothimani alleged that the BJP-led NDA government was using the Bill as “a shield to destroy South Indian states” such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, as well as small states in the Northeast, and Punjab and West Bengal.
“States which have controlled their population as per a Union government policy and are contributing to the GST and the GDP will now be at a disadvantage…basically, the BJP wants everyone’s sweat, blood, hard work and money but they don’t want political representation to Tamil Nadu and other states,” Jothimani alleged.
“This is not acceptable to us; this is not only against South India, this will eventually destroy the unity and political integrity of this country…this will create alienation among many sections of the people…anybody who is a patriotic Indian, this is their moment to prove their patriotism by opposing this Bill, opposing the BJP, opposing the Narendra Modi government,” she added.
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Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan accused PM Modi of introducing the Bills in Parliament for “ulterior motives”. “The Bill was passed in 2023, and no one in the Opposition has any objection to it. We want some of the existing 543 seats in Lok Sabha to be reserved for women,” Ranjan said.
Ranjan added that it was the BJP that first linked the Bill to the Census, then to delimitation, and then to reservation.
“They kept the issue under wraps for 30 months and have suddenly remembered it. There is a hidden intent. The government does not want to implement women’s reservation. When you are ready to consider the 2011 Census, why did you not implement it in 2024? There is a constitutional framework; the country is one, you can’t divide the North and the South. We will take this up in the House,” she said.
‘This is a historic day’
BJP Mathura MP Hema Malini sought to underline that ensuring women’s role in nation-building was PM Modi’s intent. “It (women’s reservation) has not been implemented so far because of one obstruction or another; it should be passed this time… I don’t know why protests are happening,” the Lok Sabha member said.
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“Women everywhere (in the country) are women; this will end atrocities happening against women everywhere, allowing them to take the lead and inspire more women, especially young girls… Modi ji only believes that it is important for women to take part in nation-building,” she added.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma responded to allegations about the timing, saying that if the reservation was not implemented now, it would have to wait until 2034.
“This is a historic day. Talks on women’s reservation have been ongoing since 1992. It came to the Parliament more than once, but was dropped. It was finally passed in 2023. Now, there are some amendments which will be passed to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament,” she said.
Stating that the Opposition’s concerns would be addressed when leaders address the House, she said, “They (Opposition) know it is very important. Delimitation is actually happening the way they want it. There is no question of reducing seats in any part of the country. There is a clear formula which will ensure 50 per cent of seats will be increased across the board.”
