Congress to claim credit over Women's Reservation Bill, to point out shortcomings in Bill

The empowerment of women means that they speak up for the rights of and any wrong done against other women. But, the BJP lawmakers are silent on crimes against women, writes Amit Agnihotri

New Delhi:The Congress will exert pressure on the BJP over the Women’s Reservation Bill and will deploy 25 women leaders across 25 cities on September 25 to claim credit over the legislation and point out the shortcomings in the BJP’s bill. The Congress' move comes a day after women parliamentarians and leaders of the BJP felicitated PM Modi for passing the long-pending bill and termed it a historic move.

The 25 women leaders of the grand old party will explain that it was the Congress that first passed the bill in the Rajya Sabha in 2010, but the BJP waited for nine years to get it passed in the Lok Sabha despite having the majority in the Lower House of Parliament. Congress women leaders will also explain the shortcomings in BJP’s bill like laying the pre-conditions of a census and a delimitation of constituencies before implementing the 33 per cent quota for women in the Lok Sabha and the state Assemblies saying the entire process could take several years.

They will also talk about how the women belonging to the SC, ST and OBC communities will miss out on the opportunity as there is no provision for them in the BJP’s bill despite several amendments to the effect moved by the Congress members in the Rajya Sabha. “The overall narrative will be based on the speech given by our leader Sonia Gandhi. This is our bill and we acted first on it. Besides, the Congress has always been pro-women with or without the bill. The BJP pays only lip service to them. We will also demand that the bill be implemented with immediate effect and those belonging to the SC, ST and OBC should also get a reservation within the overall quota,” Maharashtra Congress Working President and special invitee to the Congress Working Committee Praniti Shinde, who will address a presser in Kolkata, West Bengal, told ETV Bharat.

“We will also highlight the schemes that our state governments are implementing for women in states,” she said. AICC social media in-charge Supriya Shrinate, who will address the media in Lucknow said, “Though the BJP lawmakers were rightfully elated over the passage of the bill and were the most empowered in the party, it is surprising how they never speak up when atrocities are committed against women and in cases where their party leaders are involved.”

“The empowerment of women means that they speak up for the rights of and any wrong done against other women. More women will certainly be empowered whenever the bill is implemented, but such empowered lawmakers should also raise their voices against crimes against women. The BJP MPs are usually silent on this count,” she said.

Among other women leaders, former Mahila Congress chief Shobha Oza will address a press conference in Chandigarh, CWC member Alka Lamba in Jaipur, CWC leader Yashomati Thakur in Raipur, Mumbai unit chief Varsha Gaikwad in Varanasi, CWC member Rajani Patil in Ahmedabad, Rajya Sabha member Amee Yagnik in Mumbai, CWC member Kumari Selja in Bengaluru, Mahila Congress chief Netta D’Souza in Hyderabad, Pankhuri Pathak in Vijayawada and Lok Sabha MP Jothimani in Thiruvananthapuram. "We are happy that our bill has been passed, but for how long the women will have to wait to get benefits? The quota should be available in 2024 itself," CWC member Rajani Patil told ETV Bharat.