At a time when the Opposition has been critical of the government for seeking its support for women’s reservation without yet sharing the draft Bill or calling an all-party meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday that any delay in its implementation in Parliament and state assemblies will be “unfortunate and a gross injustice” to women.
The Prime Minister’s remarks come a day after he said Parliament is on the verge of “making history” as a special session prepares to discuss key amendments to the Women’s Reservation Act, officially known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
Addressing the Nari Shakti Vandan Sammelan in Delhi, he said the session would mark the end of a “decades-long wait” for women’s political representation. “The country will take one of the most important decisions of the 21st century. This decision is dedicated to nari shakti,” he said.
In an open letter to women of the country, written on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, Modi said, “It is important that we all come together and ensure that women’s representation in legislative bodies is introduced in letter and spirit at the very earliest. Our democracy will become stronger and more vibrant if the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and various Assembly elections that year are held with women’s reservation fully in place”.
“And for that, the upcoming legislation in Parliament should be passed. Any further delay will be unfortunate and a gross injustice to the women of India. The daughters of India cannot be asked to wait endlessly for what is rightfully theirs. When the voice of women becomes stronger in our legislatures, the voice of democracy itself becomes stronger.”
Modi urged all women to write to their local MPs, “and encourage them as they participate in this historic Parliament sitting”. “Remind them that they will be doing something whose impact will be felt for centuries to come. This will surely boost their spirits!” the PM said.
He said that Parliament would reconvene on April 16 “to discuss and hopefully pass an important constitutional amendment relating to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam”.
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“I am seeing that there is immense enthusiasm towards this. Women from all over the nation are expressing their joy at getting a stronger opportunity to contribute towards building a Viksit Bharat,” Modi added.
Underlining that women were making a mark in national life, Modi pointed out that many women were leading the worlds of startups, science and innovation, academia, literature, art, music, cinema, dance, and heritage.
“Perhaps nowhere is this change more visible than in sports, where a quiet revolution has taken place,” PM Modi asserted. “Indian women athletes are winning more medals, breaking records and challenging old mindsets. Their successes are inspiring several other young girls to pursue sports.”
He added, “Across India, at the grassroots, countless Self-Help Groups and Lakhpati Didis are showing how self-reliance can be achieved and how other women can be empowered. With women excelling in several of the above fields, it is only fitting that we increase the participation of women in legislative bodies. In fact, this is a subject on which there is broad consensus, not only in the present but also for several decades in the past. About a hundred years ago, during his tenure as the President of the Ahmedabad Municipality, Sardar Patel worked towards reserving seats for women.”
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Modi underlined that India gave equal voting rights to women and men at Independence. “In many other nations across the world, women had to wait for years or even centuries for this. In the last three to four decades, numerous efforts were made to increase women’s participation in legislative bodies, but the efforts did not fully fructify,” he said.
Modi added, “In the year 2047, we will mark a hundred years since freedom from colonial rule. As the people of India immerse themselves in realising the dream of a Viksit Bharat by then, let us ensure that justice is done to the aspirations of India’s Nari Shakti, which is almost half of our population.”
“…It is imperative that we do whatever is possible to add more vigour to our development trajectory and for that, the active participation of women is absolutely non-negotiable. It is this principle that led to the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in 2023 and it is the same principle that has made this constitutional amendment the need of the hour. I am sure you are also awaiting its passage in Parliament in the next few days,” Modi asserted.
