The discussion on the Women’s Reservation Bill saw a face-off between the Congress and the BJP in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. While former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi demanded a reservation for Other Backward Classes and immediate implementation of the bill, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey accused the party of saying new things for political angles and claimed that it had never spoken about an OBC quota in the context of the reservation for women legislators.
As the first speaker from the Opposition on the bill, Mrs Gandhi said her party supports the legislation, but demanded a reservation for Other Backward Classes within the 33% quota for women. She also said that speaking on the bill was an emotional moment for her as her husband Rajiv Gandhi was the first to introduce a bill on reservation for women in local bodies.
Speaking in Hindi, the former Congress chief said, “On behalf of the Indian National Congress, I stand here in support of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. From smoke-filled kitchens to flood-lit stadiums, the Indian woman’s journey has been a long one. But she has finally reached her destination.”
