Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that he is “delighted” over the passage of the women’s reservation bill by the Lok Sabha and thanked all the MPs who voted in support of the legislation. Calling the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ a “historic legislation”, PM Modi said, “It will boost women empowerment”.
“Delighted at the passage of The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Lok Sabha with such phenomenal support. I thank MPs across Party lines who voted in support of this Bill. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is a historic legislation which will further boost women empowerment and will enable even greater participation of women in our political process,” PM Modi wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Union home minister Amit Shahwho earlier addressed the Lok Sabha on the women’s quota, said that the passing of the bill is a “historic leap” for the nation.
The bill envisaged by PM @narendramodiJi will not only script a new chapter in the history of women’s empowerment but also foster equitable and gender-inclusive development in our nation. It yet again reiterates the Modi government’s commitment to women-led governance,” he wrote in a post on X.
Shah also said that the legislation “strengthens parliamentary democracy by making laws and policies more gender-inclusive and effective.”
Several other leaders lauded the passing of the legislation that seeks to provide a 33 percent quota for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
Union minister for women and child development Smriti Irani also lauded the passage of the bill. “What a better way to begin Parliamentary innings for any parliamentarian than with the passage of a bill that crores of women were waiting for…It is yet to pass in the Rajya Sabha, yes, but as a Lok Sabha member, I am extremely privileged to have not only viewed history but also participated in it,” she said while speaking to news agency ANI.
Opposition leaders’ support the bill
While the opposition parties have supported the women’s reservation bill, they have been questioning the government over the timing of the implementation of the legislation.
Speaking to the media, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, “It is good that the bill got passed but we have concerns, it is a bit of a ‘jhumla’ because of reference to delimitation and census…neither of it has been scheduled, which makes it very unclear when the bill will actually be implemented.”
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Dimple Yadav said that while the passage of the bill is historic, there has been a delay by the government in bringing the legislation to the House.
“…There are only six months for the (Lok Sabha) elections. The government brought this bill looking at these six months and the strength of the INDIA bloc. This is absolutely political,” she said while speaking to ANI.
(With inputs from ANI)
