Three days ahead of the Parliament's special session, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday, in a letter, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pass the women's reservation bill, stating that suitable representation in parliament and state legislatures is required in a democracy to "reflect hopes and aspirants of marginalised sections of society."
Earlier, BRS leader and KCR's daughter Kavitha, sent letters to as many as 47 political parties urging them to unite and pass the long-awaited Bill, which seeks to reserve 33 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women.
“Women constitute approximately 50 per cent of our population and play a pivotal role in every aspect of our society. Yet, when it comes to legislative representation in state assemblies and in our national Parliament, their presence remained woefully inadequate. This glaring display hampers our nation’s progress and undermines the principles of democracy upon which our great country is built,” she wrote.
Women's Reservation Bill
Under the Women's Reservation Bill, 33 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies will be reserved for women. It was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in 1996 as the 81st Amendment Bill by the Deve Gowda-led United Front government. However, the bill failed to get the approval of the House, amid criticism from opposition parties and was not passed.
Some divergent views on the policy explain that the report examining the 1996 women’s reservation Bill recommended that reservation be provided for women of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) as well, but this has not been incorporated into the Bill.
In 2019, women's reservation bill even found a mention in BJP's manifesto. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the party would try to woo women voters as they form a key part of the democratic process. Karnataka, which went to polls on May 10, saw 2.64 crore female voters in comparison 2.67 crore male voters. The Congress party had promised a slew of schemes aimed at providing benefits to women.
