PM Modi writes to all parties seeking support for women’s quota bill

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday engaged leaders of various parties in the Lok Sabha and Senate, seeking their support for unanimously passing the Women’s Reservation Bill next week, which seeks to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and Parliament from 2029. “After extensive deliberations, we have concluded that it is time to implement Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in its true spirit across the country. The 2029 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections must be held with reservation for women,” Modi wrote, saying his government intended to push for the passage of the bill in the session that begins on April 16. “Your support.”… This will be a discharge of an important responsibility towards the women of our country,” the Prime Minister wrote in the letter, exclusively accessible to TOI.

BJP needs 2/3 majority in opposition for women’s bill

The outreach comes against the backdrop of opposition parties resisting government plans to quickly implement quotas rather than wait for the completion of the 2027 census: which would all but ensure that women’s reservation will not come into effect before the 2034 Lok Sabha polls.The BJP needs support from opposition parties to get the two-thirds majority needed to ensure the constitutional amendment is passed in Parliament.Emphasizing on the reservation of women in Parliament and state legislatures above any one political party or individual, Modi said: “Now is the moment to demonstrate responsibility towards women and future generations. As all political parties have long expressed their desire for increased representation of women in politics, now is the best time to turn this desire into reality.”The Women’s Quota Bill seeks to decouple the implementation of the women’s quota from the 2027 Census results and proposes to base it on the 2011 Census results.In his letter, the Prime Minister recalled the unanimous support for the government’s 2023 women’s quota bill, calling it “a memorable moment and a reflection of our unity”.He also appeared to address opposition reservations about the timing of the bill’s passage by recalling that all parties were in favor of early implementation. “During these deliberations (in 2023)… there was a broad consensus that the provisions of this historic law should come into force at the earliest opportunity. This view was shared by the leaders of many political parties…” he said.The amendment will increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816, of which 273 seats will be reserved for women. Earlier this week, the Union Cabinet approved amendments to introduce three bills: the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, the Delimitation Bill and a legislation to extend women’s reservation to Union Territories such as Delhi, J&K and Puducherry, which have legislative bodies.In the letter, the prime minister said constitutional experts had been consulted on the issue and the government had held talks with political parties.He stressed that the proposed amendments were a “powerful step” to increase the participation of women, who make up half of the population.