- The five-day session began on Tuesday and is taking place in the new complex inaugurated this year.
- The old Parliament building will now be known as ‘Samvidhan Sadan’, as announced by PM Modi during his address in the Central Hall.
- The Women’s Reservation Bill was tabled by Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal in the Lok Sabha.
- Opposition parties, including Congress and Trinamool Congress, extended their support to the Bill.
- Sonia Gandhi, the Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, led her party’s debate on the Bill in the Lok Sabha.
- Earlier on Tuesday, Congress had dubbed the introduction of the Bill as an “election jumla” and “a huge betrayal of the hopes of women”.
- Union Minister G Kishan Reddy says, “A historically revolutionary Bill has been passed today.”
The five-day session began on Tuesday and is taking place in the new complex inaugurated this year. The Women’s Reservation Bill was tabled by Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal in the Lok Sabha.
On Day 2, the discussion on the Women’s Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) continued, with Opposition parties, including Congress and Trinamool Congress, extending their support to the Bill. However, trading of barbs between the Centre and the Opposition persisted as the BJP-led Centre was criticized for bringing the Bill after “13 years” since it was first passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010.
Sonia Gandhi, the Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, led her party’s debate on the Bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Earlier on Tuesday, Congress had dubbed the introduction of the Bill as an “election jumla” and “a huge betrayal of the hopes of women”.
During the first day’s agenda of the five-day special session in Parliament, the Union government introduced the Bill, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, “This historic day of 19th September 2023 is going to be immortal in the history of India.” Union law minister emphasized that the government is taking a step towards women’s empowerment by proposing a new Bill to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. Meghwal further explained that once the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is passed, the number of seats for women in the Lok Sabha will increase to 181.
Meanwhile, the old Parliament building will now be known as ‘Samvidhan Sadan’, as announced by PM Modi during his address in the Central Hall.
On the Women’s Reservation Bill passed in Lok Sabha, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy says, “A historically revolutionary Bill has been passed today, I congratulate the women of the country, by passing this Bill in Lok Sabha, PM Modi has proved that Modi hai toh mumkin hai.”
Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram says, “It is a symbolic bill, for it to come into effect, two steps have to be crossed, we have to do a census which we haven’t done since 2011 and after that, we have to also do a delimitation and it is going to be very complicated.”
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav says, “I want to congratulate everyone. A historic bill has passed. But there has been a delay by the government in bringing this bill. There are only six months in the Lok Sabha elections. The government brought this bill looking at these 6 months and the strength of the INDIA bloc. This is absolutely political.”
Bill passed but we have concerns’: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Women’s Reservation Bill passed.
“It was no less than a celebration when we passed the first milestone of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women’s Reservation Bill) today. I thank PM Modi for giving the next generation of women, who will lead tomorrow, a constitutional guarantee,” says Union Minister Smriti Irani.
“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 tweeted.
(With inputs from agencies)
