Gandhi issues women’s bill challenge to Modi

INDIA’S opposition leader on Monday (16) urged prime minister Narendra Modi to “walk his talk” by passing a long-pending bill that aims to give women a stronger voice in parliament.

Rahul Gandhi offered his party’s “un­conditional support” to push through the Women’s Reservation Bill, which provides for one-third of the seats in na­tional and state assemblies to be re­served for female candidates.

“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,” Gandhi tweeted.

The bill was passed by the upper house in 2010, but has since been side­lined after vehement resistance from some male lawmakers.

Women hold only 12 per cent of seats in both the lower and upper houses of parliament in the world’s largest democ­racy, compared to the global average of 23 per cent, according to the Inter-Parlia­mentary Union.

Gandhi asked Modi in a letter at­tached to his tweet to take advantage of his party’s majority in parliament to “send India a message that we believe the time for change has come”.

“Women must take their rightful place in our state legislatures and in parlia­ment, where they are at present abys­mally represented,” he said.

The BJP on Monday refused to say if it would clear the bill in the parliament session beginning on Wednesday (18).

Prakash Javadekar, a minister and BJP spokesman, said Congress counted op­ponents of the bill among its allies. “They have to first sort out this issue,” he said.

The country already reserves at least a third of village council seats for women, giving over one million women a say in how their communities are developed.

But a stronger voice for women at the top of government will help bring in policies and laws to fight abuse, discrimina­tion and inequality, campaigners say.