A day after Parliament cleared the Women’s Reservation Bill, the Congress on Friday, September 22, said that BJP stands exposed on its real intentions as delimitation and census are poor excuses for postponement and the whole exercise was to create an election issue for a "jaded" Prime Minister. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "The Congress Party moved amendments to the Women's Reservation Bill last night in the Rajya Sabha. These amendments would have ensured implementation of the reservation from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections itself and reservation for OBC women in addition to the reservation for women belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes."
Slamming the government, Jairam said, "Either of these amendments are eminently doable. Both were rejected."
"The BJP stands exposed on its real intentions. Delimitation and census are poor excuses for postponement. The whole exercise was to create an election issue for a jaded and about-to-be-faded Prime Minister without actually implementing it," he said.
On Thursday, the Rajya Sabha also unanimously passed the Women's Reservation Bill after an 11-hour debate. Now 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and in the state assemblies will become a law and will be implemented after census and delimitation.
The motion was adopted in the House with 215 MPs voting in favour and none against and without any abstention. Earlier, all Rajya Sabha MPs across party lines verbally supported the Bill despite some opposition members terming it an election gimmick.
The Bill became the first to be passed in the New Parliament Building during the five day Special Session.