Women quota bill: First step done, but for NDA, several hurdles remain

Though the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expects that the crucial Bill will help it sail through the 2024 general elections and bring it back to power with a bigger majority, the day-long discussion in Lok Sabha brought out several challenges for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

“I urge all the Members of Parliament (MPs) to come together and vote for the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. It is time for all the Parliamentarians to join hands and unanimously pass this Bill. It is possible that some members feel that there are shortcomings in the Bill. I want to urge all the members to let this Bill pass, and we can correct the shortcomings, if any, later,” said Home Minister Amit Shah while speaking in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

“It is easy to say that we are committed to women's empowerment, but we cannot prove our commitment by just passing the Bill in Lok Sabha,” said Shah in the Lok Sabha.

Though a large section of BJP leaders are upbeat that the passage of the women’s reservation bill will give the party a boost not only in the Lok Sabha elections but also during the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram, the alliance members of the BJP insist the party should come out with a clear timeline for the implementation of the Bill.

NDA members for bigger discussion

NDA members have also urged the Centre to hold discussions with stakeholders on how the government plans to take the process forward.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the bill, senior leaders of the NDPP and NPF, two crucial alliance partners of the BJP from North East, emphasised that the government must hold a detailed discussion.

“I urge the Centre to have detailed discussions with all the stakeholders for the early implementation of the women’s reservation bill, and the government must also come out with a clear timeline to inform the MPs on when the Bill will be implemented in the country,” said Lorho S Pfoze, of the Naga People’s Front (NPF), a crucial alliance member of the BJP in Manipur.

“We want to know from the government when it will be implemented. We urge the government to give us a timeline," said Tokheho Yepthomi, a senior leader of NDPP, a crucial ally of the BJP in Nagaland.

Reservation for OBC community

There is a growing chorus within the NDA and among Opposition parties that the bill should also have reserved seats for women belonging to the other backward classes (OBCs).

Senior Opposition leaders also asked the government to carry out a caste-based census nationally and reserve seats for women from the OBC community in the Bill.

“I want to ask the union government how long will the women have to wait? Will it take two, four, or eight years for the implementation of the Bill? The Congress party demands that the Bill be implemented immediately, and the union government must also carry out a caste census. There should also be provision for the reservation of women from the OBC communities,” said Sonia Gandhi, former president of Congress.

NDA members have also sought seats for women from the OBC community.

“We support the Bill and we urge the government to ensure that there is provision for reservation of women from the OBC community in the Bill. The government must take steps so that there is a reservation for OBCs in the Bill,” said Anupriya Patel, union minister and chief of Apna Dal (Sonelal), an important ally of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and former union minister, Uma Bharati, has threatened to launch agitation if there is no provision for reservation for women from the OBC community.