Women groups demand passage of Women's Reservation Bill

The National Alliance for Women's Reservation Bill, a conglomerate of various women organisations across the country, on Wednesday demanded passage of the long-pending Women's Reservation Bill in the coming session of Parliament

The National Alliance for Women's Reservation Bill, a conglomerate of various women organisations across the country, on Wednesday demanded passage of the long-pending Women's Reservation Bill in the coming session of Parliament. At a conference organised at the Press Club of India here, a number of women rights activists emphasised the need to get the Bill passed "at the earliest" in order to ensure equal participation of women in politics.

The activists pointed out that the current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had enough seats in the Lok Sabha to pull the Bill through and fulfil its poll promise. "We demand the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill at the earliest. There is no question of lack of consensus among political parties for the passage of the Bill. It is the responsibility of the BJP government to pass this Bill in the coming session of Parliament and to fulfil the promise they made in their election manifesto," said Ranjana Kumari, Director, Centre for Social Research.

Jyotsna Chatterjee, President and Secretary, Joint Women's Programme said: "The women of this country demand equal representation of women in politics. And that should happen as soon as possible." Those present at the conference included Aam Aadmi Party MLA Alka Lamba; Annie Raja of National Federation for Indian Women; Sara Pilot, Chairperson, CEQUIN; Asha Devi, Chairperson, Nirbhaya Jyoti Trust; and representatives of Women's Power Connect (WPC) and Young Women Christian Association, among others.

The Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill, commonly known as the Women's Reservation Bill, was introduced in Parliament in May 2008 by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. The Bill seeks to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies. It also provides for reservation of one-third of the total number of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for women of those groups.

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