Women’s Reservation Bill: BRS MLC K Kavitha welcomes CWC resolution; all-party meeting pushes for Bill

While the delay in passing the Women's Reservation Bill is disappointing, it's welcoming to see the Congress Party addressing the issue through the CWC resolution.

I hope the Congress Party will maintain the same spirit in the upcoming parliament session to exert pressure on… https://t.co/NDQ4IonSc8

— Kavitha Kalvakuntla (@RaoKavitha) September 17, 2023

The CWC, which met in Hyderabad on Saturday, demanded that the Women’s Reservation Bill be passed during the special session of Parliament.

The demand by the Congress’s highest decision-making body comes amid renewed calls for the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill and speculation that it could be taken up during the five-day special session of Parliament starting Monday.

Also read: Kavitha pushes for Women’s Reservation Bill; writes to 47 parties

All party meet to push for the Bill

Meanwhile, several regional parties, including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the BRS, pushed for tabling of the Bill in Parliament as the government held an all-party meeting on Sunday, a day ahead of the start of a special, five-day session.

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said as he arrived at the Parliament House Complex that his party would raise issues like price rise, unemployment, social conflict, and the Manipur situation during the all-party meeting.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the deputy leader of the House in Lok Sabha; Union Minister Piyush Goyal, the leader of the House in Rajya Sabha; and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi represented the government in the meeting.

BJD and BRS leaders said they will push for the tabling and passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the five-day session.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former prime minister and JD(S) leader HD Deve Gowda, DMK’s Kanimozhi, TDP’s Ram Mohan Naidu, Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien, Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh, BJD’s Sasmit Patra, BRS’ K Keshava Rao, YSRCP’s V Vijayasai Reddy, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Manoj Jha,JD(U)’s Anil Hegde, and Samajwadi Party’s Ram Gopal Yadav were among those who attended the meeting.

Kavitha’s letter

Earlier, on 5 September, Kavitha shot off letters to the presidents of 47 political parties urging them to support the passing of the Bill.

The letters, including one to BJP President JP Nadda, implored parties to support the Bill and ensure that it is passed in the special session of Parliament, beginning on 18 September.

The former MP from Nizamabad has lately been taking up the issue and even convened a Deeksha in New Delhi in March this year, requesting all parties to prove their commitment to the cause of women by passing the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha.

In her letters, Kavitha urged the presidents of the parties to set aside their political differences to ensure that the Bill becomes an Act.

With Lok Sabha elections barely months away, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Union government is expected to bring in legislations with elections in mind. The Women’s Reservation Bill is seen as one way to appeal to women voters as a bloc.

The Women’s Reservation Bill seeks to reserve 33 percent of seats in the Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies for women. Despite being a crucial step towards gender parity and inclusive governance, the Bill could not be passed in Parliament all these years.

Also read: Kavitha to hold deeksha for passage of Women’s Reservation Bill

Points to role of women

In her letter, Kavitha stressed the crucial role women play in every sphere of life and, therefore, said that they deserve representation in legislative bodies. She said that there were already 14 lakh women active in public life, demonstrating their ability to lead and govern effectively.

Kavitha emphasised the importance of inclusivity in the Indian democracy, asserting that increased women’s representation is not a matter of exclusivity, but a means to build a more equitable and balanced political landscape. She urged all political parties to recognise the urgency of the issuer and throw their weight behind the Women’s Reservation Bill.

The BRS lawmaker said that the upcoming session of Parliament presented a unique opportunity to take a historic step forward. “I hope that all political parties in India will rise above partisan interests and unite in support of the Women’s Reservation Bill, which has languished in the legislative limbo for far too long,” she said.

(With PTI inputs)