Women's Reservation Bill still alive as it has been passed by Rajya Sabha, says Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. Pic/AFP

The Congress is committed to the Women's Reservation Bill to ensure one-third of seats in Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women, party spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said on Monday.

Addressing the press on the sidelines of the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra here, he said the bill, which was passed in Rajya Sabha during the Manmohan Singh-led government around 11 years ago, was still alive as Rajya Sabha never dissolves.

"The bill is still alive as it has been passed by Rajya Sabha and once it is passed in Lok Sabha it will become an Act," he said. "The Congress has repeatedly demanded that the bill be brought in Lok Sabha and said the party would support it," he added.

"We want that women should get same reservation in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and assemblies as they have got in panchayati raj and municipal institutions," he said.
He also said former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had written to the prime minister requesting him to bring the bill in Lok Sabha, but it has never been mentioned in the eight years of the Narendra Modi government.

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He said the Congress was the only political party in the country that has provision of reservation for women in its constitution. The party has amended its constitution to provide 20 per cent reservation to women.

"It is a different point that we could not fulfil the target. It has been a shortcoming and we have to improve the same as soon as possible," he said.
He said the party gave 40 per cent tickets to women candidates in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. It was "an experiment" though there is no provision for reserving tickets for women, he said.

"Consideration would be given to reservation of tickets for woman in the party and the new party president (Mallikarjun) Kharge will think over it," he added.

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