NEW DELHI: AAP leader and Delhi minister Atishi has alleged that the Women’s Reservation Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, is meant to ‘befool women’ ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. She said that the BJP is not genuinely interested in the well-being and welfare of women.
“A closer reading of the provisions of the bill shows that it is ‘Mahila Bewakoof Banao’ bill,” she said while addressing a press conference. Atishi said that PM Modi and the BJP brought in this bill just before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to fool women in the country.
“According to the provisions of the bill, the reservation will only be implemented after the census and then the delimitation, which means that women will not get reservations in the 2024 elections. BJP’s grandiose plan for women’s reservation will not come into effect until 2027-28. It is clear from the provisions of the bill that the BJP is attempting to deceive the women of the country in the name of reservation just to gain votes in the 2024 elections,” she said.
“Why can’t PM Modi provide reservations to women in the 2024 elections without waiting for the census and delimitation? If he truly cares about women, why doesn’t he implement the bill on the existing 543 seats in the Lok Sabha?” she questioned.
She demanded an amendment to the Women Reservation Bill and urged the government not to wait for the census and delimitation exercise so that it comes into effect for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “Some time back, the 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill related to this bill was posted in the public domain by the Central government. Upon studying it, we realized that it was nothing but a political move before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It is, in essence, a ‘Mahila Bewkoof Banao’ Bill,” she reiterated. Meanwhile, the Delhi unit of the BJP welcomed the introduction of the bill in Parliament.
DCW chief welcomes govt’s decision
Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal on Tuesday congratulated the Centre on its decision to introduce the Women Reservation Bill. “After 76 years of independence, the government has accepted that unless women are in the Parliament and Legislative Assembly, the country’s progress will only be on paper,” she said.
