The Opposition Congress on Sunday demanded the immediate implementation of 33% women’s reservation within the existing 543 seats of the Lok Sabha, accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to “mislead the nation” by using the issue for political purposes.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the BJP’s sole woman CM, hit out at the Congress, calling the party “anti-women” and saying the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill had exposed the “anti-women” stance of the grand old party. The Bill, which proposed 33% reservation for women in legislatures from 2029 and an increase in Lok Sabha seats to 816, was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
The Congress took out a march towards the BJP headquarters to protest against the ruling party. Mahila Congress workers, who participated in the protest, burnt an effigy of the government to highlight that the legislation was not a women’s reservation measure but a delimitation exercise. Addressing the gathering, Congress general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh said, “If the BJP government is truly sincere, it should enact legislation to provide reservation for women within the existing 543 seats of the Lok Sabha.”
