Women's bill crosses first hurdle in LS amid clamour for OBC quota; RS next

NT Correspondent

New Delhi: Amid a heated debate over who should take credit for the Women’s reservation bill, the extension of similar benefits to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and a demand for immediate implementation of the quota before the 2024 parliament polls, the Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the allimportant bill granting 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

After a spirited eight-hour debate in which 60 members participated, the Lok Sabha passed the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, with 454 members voting in favour and two against it.

When the proposed legislation goes to Rajya Sabha for its consideration, it will be called the Constitution (106th Amendment) Bill, officials said.

Setting the tone of the debate, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi made a strong pitch for bringing OBC women under the ambit of the law and asserted that delay in bringing the reservation would be "gross injustice" to women.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he supports the women's bill but lamented that the measure was "incomplete" as it lacks a quota for OBCs.

Home Minister Amit Shah brushed aside apprehensions of a delay in the implementation of the proposed law and asserted that the next government will conduct a census and delimitation exercise soon after the elections, setting in motion the process to make women's reservation a reality.

Shah indicated that women's reservation will become a reality after 2029. The home minister countered the opposition's criticism for not including an OBC subquota and asserted that the BJP has given more representation to the community than those claiming to speak for them.

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi was the lone voice of opposition to the bill contending that the measure would provide reservation only to "savarna women", and exclude OBC and Muslim women who have little representation.

The AIMIM has two members in Lok Sabha. The debateo saw rival political parties claim credit with Sonia Gandhi saying the bill was a dream of her late husband and former PM Rajiv Gandhi.

When will it be implemented in LS?

The reservation of seats for women will be implemented following the completion of the delimitation process, which will be based on the first Census conducted after the enactment of the bill.

Article 82 of the Constitution, as amended in 2002, stipulates that delimitation can be carried out based on the initial Census conducted after 2026, as reported by Scroll.

Originally, this would have meant conducting the Census in 2031. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, India's last Census, conducted in 2011, faced delays.

The first phase of the 2020 Census, involving the collection of housing data, was postponed multiple times due to the pandemic and is now expected to take place after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

If the upcoming Census is completed by 2026, delimitation will only occur after the subsequent Census, as outlined in Article 82 of the Constitution. This subsequent Census could take place in 2031, if the government adheres to the original schedule, or in 2036, if the government opts to return to the traditional ten-year gap between consecutive censuses.

In this context, the implementation of women's reservation in the LS is expected to take place in 2034 at the earliest, and potentially as late as 2039.

RAHUL'S POINTS TO PONDER

• OBC women must get separate reservation in the bill
• Prez Murmu should have been invited for the first day in new Parl
• There should be a Caste Census to ensure social justice for OBCs
• Only 3 of 90 secretaries in govt are OBCs— ‘insult to community