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The Mumbai unit of the Congress has raised allegations against the BJP government at the Centre, claiming that it lacks sincerity in providing reservations for women. Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad criticized the recent approval of the Women’s Reservation Bill, popularly known as the ‘Naari Shakti Vandan Bill,’ stating that its passage does not guarantee immediate benefits for women.
Gaikwad pointed out that the implementation of the bill hinges on a protracted delimitation process, which could take up to five years. Consequently, the bill is unlikely to become effective until 2029.
She asserted that the Women’s Reservation Bill was initially passed in the Upper House of Parliament by the UPA government in 2010, thanks to the efforts of then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Gaikwad argued that if the BJP government was genuinely committed to providing women with reservations in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, they should have endorsed the same bill in the Lok Sabha.
The newly introduced bill comes with several prerequisites that must be fulfilled, all of which will take time to complete. The most critical requirement is the census and delimitation process, which has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. India was originally scheduled to conduct the census in 2021, but the process has yet to commence. Gaikwad contended that this process would take more than five years, rendering it impossible to establish women’s reservation before 2029.
“This newly introduced bill is a grave injustice to women nationwide, reflecting a lack of genuine commitment to securing women’s rightful rights and merely a political ploy in the run-up to the elections,” Gaikwad concluded. The accusation highlights the growing political debate surrounding the Women’s Reservation Bill and its timeline for implementation.
