Watch LIVE: Rajya Sabha Passes Landmark Women's Reservation Bill With 215 Ayes
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Parliament Live Updates: In a legislative landmark, both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam or Women's Reservation Bill which reserves 33 percent of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative Assemblies for women.
Over 215 Rajya Sabha MPs voted in favour of the bill on Thursday, 21 September, with zero Nos and zero Abstentions. On Wednesday, the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha with 454 MPs voting in favour of it.
The Bill, which seeks to provide 33 percent reservation to women in Parliament and state Assemblies, had several Opposition MPs demanding a sub-quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and implementation of the legislation without long delays.
PM Modi also thanked all parties for their support of the Bill. Watch his address here.
The only two MPs who voted against the Bill in the Lok Sabha were AIMIM MPs Asaduddin Owaisi and Imtiaz Jaleel.
Opposition MPs on Wednesday demanded that the Bill be implemented immediately and the government should not wait for the census and delimitation exercises to complete.
BJP chief JP Nadda in the Rajya Sabha thanked PM Modi for women's reservation in the Parliament.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram called the Bill a symbolic gesture.
"I have the courage to discuss China as well," said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury who asked him if he has the courage to discuss China issue in the Lok Sabha.
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Women's Reservation Bill To Be Tabled in Rajya Sabha
The Women's Reservation Bill, or 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' (NSVA), is scheduled to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, 21 September, after being cleared by the Lok Sabha the previous day.
The Bill, which seeks to provide 33 percent reservation to women in Parliament and state Assemblies, had passed with 454 votes in favour and two against it, despite several Opposition MPs demanding a sub-quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and implementation of the legislation without long delays.
Debate on Women's Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha
A number of prominent MPs debated the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi opened the debate on the issue, saying that women will have to wait for a long period of time until the Bill is implemented.
"For the last 13 years, Indian women have been waiting for their political responsibilities, and now they are being asked to wait for a few more years - two years, four years, six years, eight years," she said.
Rahul Gandhi said that the Bill was "incomplete" in his view and required a sub-quota for OBCs.
"There is one thing in my view that makes this Bill incomplete. I think OBC reservation should have been included in this Bill," he said, adding, "There are also two things that seem strange to me - one is the idea that you require a new census and the second is that you required a new delimitation to implement this Bill."
On the other hand, Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that for the Modi government, the issue of women's reservation is about "recognition" and not about politics. He also responded to Rahul Gandhi's claims of OBCs being sidelined over the Bill, saying that 29 percent of the BJP's MPs are from the OBC community.
Union Minister Smriti Irani also slammed the Congress, saying that it was attempting to "mislead" the country over the issue of women's reservation.
"The Congress had proposed women's quota for not more than 15 years, but BJP guarantees reservation of seats for women. I express my gratitude towards PM Modi and Law Minister (Arjun Ram Meghwal) who didn't allow this desire of the Congress to become a reality," Irani said.
Repealing and Amending Bill To Be Tabled in Rajya Sabha
The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023 is scheduled to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday.
The Bill aims to repeal certain enactments and amend a drafting error in the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in July this year.
'Women's Reservation Bill Won't Be Implemented for Next 20-25 Years': AAP
AAP MP Sanjay Singh said that the Women's Reservation Bill will not be implemented for the next 20-25 years.
"This bill was pending for 20-25 years and will still not be implemented in the coming 20-25 years. There is a deliberate clause inserted in this bill that, first a Census will be done then delimitation and then the reservation would be given. If you have the intention to give reservations to 33 percent women then you should implement it for the 2024 elections," he told news agency ANI.
"This is not a bill for reservations for women but to make them fools...The true character of the BJP is anti-women...This bill is just an election 'jumla'," he added.
PM Modi Addresses LS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the Lok Sabha, thanked MPs across party lines for voting in favour of the Women's Reservation Bill on Wednesday.
"Yesterday was a golden moment of India's Parliamentary journey. All the members of this House deserve that golden moment...Yesterday's decision and today when we cross the last mile after Rajya Sabha (passing of the Bill today), the transformation in the face of women power of the country, the trust that will be formed will emerge as an unimaginable and unprecedented power that will take the country to new heights. I can feel this," he said.
Women's Reservation Bill Tabled in Rajya Sabha
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal tabled the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' in the Rajya Sabha.
"The Women's Reservation Bill, we propose an Amendment in Article 330, insertion of a section Article 332 and and insertion of a section in Article 334. This reservation is both horizontal and vertical," Meghwal said.
'Government Doesn't Have Clear Intentions on the Bill': Manoj Jha
On Women's Reservation Bill, RJD MP Manoj Jha told news agency ANI: "The government doesn't have a clear intention on this bill. There's no road map and this Bill is being passed. You have rejected and excluded a big population. PM Modi and his team need to understand that the discussion is not happening on the passing of the Bill, but on OBCs. You should revise your position once again or else people have other options to change your position and your Bill."
'Bill Passed in a Haste': Supriya Sule
"They did this in such a haste, in a special session. There was so much haste that it seemed that they could have done it in December. Even if they did it then, the outcome would have been the same. We are supporting it strongly. But it is a post-dated cheque because neither census nor delimitation has been done. Unless both of them are done it can't be implemented. It will perhaps be implemented in 2029, who knows?" NCP MP Supriya Sule told ANI.
'Why the Delay?': Nitish Kumar on Women's Reservation
Speaking to the media on the women's reservation Bill, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said: "Why are they delaying it so much. It could have been implemented immediately. Why do we need to wait till 2029? What's the problem, it should have been done immediately."
"The census was happening every ten years. It started in 1931, and this is the first time that it has been delayed. It is not good. But this (Women's Reservation) thing is nice, there will be some delay in the implementation but it will be good for women whenever it gets implemented," he said.
'Thank PM Modi': JP Nadda on Women's Reservation
BJP chief JP Nadda in the Rajya Sabha thanked PM Modi for women's reservation in the Parliament.
"People might have different opinions about the names. But Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is an identity of our Govt, our PM and our perspective on the women in society and it gives it a direction," he said.
Attacking the Congress, Nadda said: "They talk about OBCs. It was the BJP that gave the country the first OBC PM and not the Congress."
Rajnath, Adhir Ranjan Face-Off Over China
"I have the courage to discuss China as well," said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury who asked him if he has the courage to discuss China issue in Lok Sabha.
'New Jumla for Elections': Adhir Ranjan
Speaking to news agency ANI, Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury called women's reservation a new jumla for elections.
"Why would we oppose it? It is our own issue. We would advise the government to include other things to it. One of our associates said that what would happen to the transgenders? A caste census should take place. The government is well aware that delimitation and caste census will take time," he said.
'Symbolic Gesture': Karti Chidambaram on Women's Reservation
On the women's Reservation Bill Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram called it a symbolic gesture.
"We have supported it wholeheartedly but that's not going to come into effect immediately. There are two conditions in precedence which need to be fulfilled before it becomes operational. One is the Census - the next Census has to be time-consuming but when the Census happens there will also be demands from anybody for the caste census. So, that has to be sorted out. The next is delimitation which is even more complicated because if you start allocating seats according to population the southern states which have implemented population control will be penalised...That will be unacceptable. While it is a good gesture we still have a long way to go before it becomes operational," he told news agency ANI.
What HD Deve Gowda Said on Women's Reservation
"When I was the chief minister of Karnataka, I had brought this Bill in the Karnataka Assembly and the same was inttroduced in the Parliament when I became the PM," former PM HD Deve Gowda said in the Rajya Sabha.
'My Surname is a Privilege, But for Others...': Manoj Jha on Women's Reservation
Addressing the Rajya Sabha on women's reservation, RJD MP Manoj Jha said: "The government needs to change the power of its spectacles. My surname is a privilege but think of those who don't have that privilege. The 33% reservation should not come out of SC/STs, it should be separate."
'Bill Will Pass in Rajya Sabha Today': Anupriya Patel
Union Minister Anupriya Patel said that the passing of the women's reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha unanimously was a historic event.
"There will be positive discussions in Rajya Sabha today and the Bill will be passed there also. Ultimately, this will become a law. When a law is formed, it is natural for questions to rise keeping in mind the diversity of society. The questions on OBC reservation are not wrong or baseless," she told news agency ANI.
'Caste Census Should be Conducted for Women's Reservation': Tejashwi Yadav
Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav said that reservation should be ensured for backward women and minority women.
"No one knows when it will be implemented because it will be implemented after the census and delimitation. We want women to get the benefit of this as soon as possible. Our demand is that a caste census should also be conducted. PM Modi has come up with a new 'Jumla' through this but there is no reservation for backward classes and minorities and it will be implemented in 2029. OBC people are seeing all this and they know how to get their rights," he told news agency ANI.
Implement Reservation in Rajya Sabha: TMC's Derek O'Brien
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien called for the implementation of 33 percent reservation for women in the Upper House of the Parliament, and called for a discussion about the same.
'Why Table Now To Implement Later?': Priyanka Chaturvedi
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi questioned the government's intention to table the Women's Reservation Bill.
'Can't Implement Bill Before 2024': Mahesh Jethmalani
"The question that is raised is can this [Women's Reservation Bill] be implemented before 2024? Sir, it can't. That's a given. Unless certain things have to be ignored. Every time there is reservation and we are now talking about women's reservation, three procedures have to be followed: The latest census figures, the registration of boundaries via a delimitation commission, and the identification and notification of constituencies for the purpose of reservation, in this case women's reservation," argued nominated BJP MP Mahesh Jethamalani in his address to the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
'Not Possible for Reservation in Upper House': Nirmala Sitharaman
"What this proposed bill provides for reservation of women in the Lok Sabha, I've heard some people talk about reservation for the Upper House as well but with the indirect election process and the way in which preference is shown in the voting, it won't be possible to do," said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her address supporting the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
'Groundswell at Panchayat Level': Nirmala Sitharaman
"I want to credit former PM PV Narasimha Rao's government for bringing 33 percent reservation at the panchayat level. As a result, we have seen a groundswell at panchayat level where reservation has been increased to 50 percent at several panchayats showing the contribution of women," said Union Finance Minister Sitharaman in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the Women's Reservation Bill.
"It is important we build consensus and prepare for economic and social empowerment of women," she added.
Nirmala Sitharaman on Bill's Implementation Timeline
"As far as the implementation of the proposed reservation for women, after the Bill is enacted and after the Bill comes into operation, whenever the first census takes place and the relevant figures for that census are published, a fresh delimitation exercise shall be undertaken...," said the finance minister.
"BJP has been consistently supportive of women reservation," Sitharaman added.
'Disheartening To Hear Bill Be Called a Jumla': Nirmala Sitharaman
"This bill is not a jumla. I think the context in which Home Minister said is well understood but it is convenient for us to use jumla again, no. We forget the context...," Sitharaman said.
"In light of the realities before us, it will not be possible to implement this before 2024. Once census is over and delimitation is done, you are going to have women's reservation. So, this is not a jumla," she stressed.
'Wholeheartedly Support This Bill': Kharge
"I stand in support of this Bill. My party and INDIA parties wholeheartedly support this Bill...," Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said in an intervention amid the Rajya Sabha debate on the Women's Reservation Bill.
Why Not Now, Asks Kharge on Bill's Implementation
"When this govt can enact other laws to be enforced immediately, it could not have brought this bill despite political consensus? Why can women's reservation not be implemented on basis of current figures? The numbers can be enhanced once we have updated data," Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said in an intervention amid the Rajya Sabha debate on the Women's Reservation Bill.
"We are giving our unconditional support to the bill and it will be passed (in Rajya Sabha) but make sure this doesn't turn into an election 'jumla'," he added.
'Not Opposing Bill But...': Mallikarjun Kharge
(Photo: PTI)
"I'm not opposing this bill, but I'm asking why are you not including women of backward classes? Do you want them to fall behind? More than 60% of the country's population belongs to OBCs," Kharge continued.
"This govt must also give a definite date for implementation. Their members have said that they do not lack commitment [...] Nadda sahab was taunting us about our demand for more OBC representation among govt secretaries. Do you have people from SC, ST communities in principal or joint secretary posts?" Kharge said.
'Bill Will Lead to New Confidence': PM Modi
(Photo: PTI)
"This bill will lead to a new confidence in the people of the country. All members and political parties have played a significant role in empowering women and enhancing 'Nari Shakti'. Let us give the country a strong message," said PM Modi while addressing the Rajya Sabha in a debate on the Women's Reservation Bill.
Voting Underway in Rajya Sabha
(Photo: PTI)
Voting on the Women's Reservation Bill is underway in the Rajya Sabha after a day of debate and discussions.
Rajya Sabha Passes Women's Reservation Bill
After a day of debate and discussions, the Upper House passed the landmark 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' (NSVA) or Women's Reservation Bill with a majority of 215 votes. No MPs voted against the bill or abstained from voting.
The Rajya Sabha is taking up each clause of the bill for voting while considering amendments tabled by MPs.
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Published: 21 Sep 2023,09:03 AM IST