PM Modi steps up direct outreach ahead of women’s quota bill meeting

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi On Monday, he will address high-profile figures and female achievers from different fields while stepping up direct engagement with people to drum up support for a bill proposing to implement quotas for women in the legislature from 2029, amid criticism from the opposition, especially over possible demarcation moves. An official statement described the scheme as ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Sammelan’, similar to the women’s quota law passed in 2023 called ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’. The bills come in anticipation of a special session of Parliament on April 16, which proposes to address the implementation of the law that reserves one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and Parliament from the 2029 national elections. “The program will witness the participation of eminent personalities and women achievers from different fields. It will bring together representatives from different sectors including government, academia, science, sports, entrepreneurship, media, social work and culture,” the statement said. As the united opposition was able to prevent the government from obtaining the two-thirds majority needed to pass the Constitutional Amendment Bill, especially in the Lok Sabha, Modi turned to mobilizing public support to raise the political costs for his opponents in case they opposed the move. He also spoke about the women’s quota bill at recent political rallies.