The Women's Reservation Bill has been long pending in the Parliament. With the ongoing special session, the reports of the initiative to increase space for women being cleared by the Union Cabinet have been welcomed by the Congress. Once passed the bill will provide reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies. Amid these reports, the Congress party's communication in-charge Jairam Ramesh shared the history of the bill on X (formerly Twitter) along with a 2018 letter from Rahul Gandhi to the Prime Minister.
The old letter from Rahul Gandhi to Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about "unconditional support" from Congress leaders to pass the bill ensuring reservation for women. The letter is now doing rounds on the internet.
"Our PM says he's a crusader for women's empowerment? Time for him to rise above party politics, walk-his-talk & have the Women's Reservation Bill passed by Parliament. The Congress offers him its unconditional support," the 2018 letter, reads.
In the letter, the Congress MP emphasized that the bill had received support from the BJP in the Upper House and had been dubbed "historic and momentous" by late Union minister Arun Jaitley, who was the Opposition leader at the time.
"On the issue of empowering women, let us stand together, rise above party politics, and send India a message that we believe the time for change has come," the letter added.
The bill was drafted by the UPA government in 2008, but after being approved by the Upper House two years later, it was placed on hold. The bill faced obstacles in the form of resistance from other parties and requests for a quota for backward classes within the women's quota, even though the BJP and the Congress have consistently backed it.
There was a lot of talk about the government supporting the bill and opposition leaders promoting women's reservations prior to the Parliament session. The subject came up again on Day One of the Special session's proceedings.
Speaking during the discussion on "Parliamentary Journey of 75 Years," Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge Starting with Samvidhan Sabha - Achievements, Experiences, Memories And Learnings" highlighted the uneven gender representation among elected officials, claiming that just 14 percent of parliament is made up of women, and only 10 percent of legislative assemblies are made up of women.
