New Delhi: In less than a week before the parliament’s monsoon session, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pass the women’s reservation bill.
Attaching his letter to the prime minister, Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to challenge the Modi government for passing the bill that will allow reservation of 33% seats in Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for the women.
“Our PM says he’s a crusader for women’s empowerment? Time for him to rise above party politics, walk-his-talk & have the Women’s Reservation Bill passed by Parliament. The Congress offers him its unconditional support. Attached is my letter to the PM. #MahilaAakrosh,” Gandhi posted.
The women’s reservation bill was first passed in 2010 under the then UPA government by the Rajya Sabha, however, it is yet to get a clearance in the Lok Sabha.
“Mr Prime Minister, in many of your public rallies you have spoken about your passion for empowering women and involving them more meaningfully in public life. What better way to demonstrate your commitment to the cause of women than by offering your unconditional support to the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill? And what better time, than the upcoming session of parliament?,” Gandhi said in his letter.
Much is expected of Parliament’s Monsoon Session that starts on July 18, especially after a cycle of disruptions in the past sittings stalled passage of laws crucial to India’s present and future.
The government, led by PM Modi, and the Opposition under Rahul Gandhi, blamed each other for a washed-out Budget Session held from January 29 to April 6. Nearly 250 working hours, out of 372 available, were lost.
The Session was supposed to take up at least 28 Bills in the Lok Sabha and 39 in the Rajya Sabha, in 31 sittings (eight in the first part and 23 in the second) spread over 68 days. But the Lower House could pass only five, and the Upper House just one. The productivity for the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha was only 23 per cent and 28 per cent, respectively. In the last leg, the Lok Sabha’s productivity dropped to just 4 per cent, amid the Opposition’s persistent demands for a no-confidence motion against the government.