Meghwal said that social justice is an important part of the Constitution, and under PM Modi, “the speed and scale of social justice” for women has increased. (Photo: Screengrab from YouTube/SansadTV)
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal Thursday introduced all three Bills aimed at advancing women’s reservation in Lok Sabha and state assemblies by 2029, and called upon all members to pass them unanimously.
Underlining that the Bills showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s firm resolve and devotion to women’s empowerment, Meghwal asserted that Lok Sabha’s strength was being increased by 50 per cent in such a way that neither men nor any state would be harmed. He asserted that the proportion of seats allocated to each state in the expanded Lok Sabha would remain unchanged.
“Today is the time to implement the historic decision of 2023,” Meghwal said, asserting that Article 368 (2) of the Constitution gives Parliament the power to amend it.
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“Women members had raised this matter even in the Constituent Assembly since 1949,” the minister said.
Meghwal said that social justice is an important part of the Constitution, and under PM Modi, “the speed and scale of social justice” for women has increased. As far as economic justice is concerned, the coming of Modi brought about a visible change in women’s economic justice, Meghwal asserted.
“It was firm resolve and devotion for Matri Shakti in the mind of Modi that made this possible,” he said.
As regards political justice, Babasaheb Ambedkar granted women the right to vote, Meghwal asserted. He said Ambedkar measured the progress of a community based on the progress of women there. Meghwal said that while women had to wait 144 years to gain voting rights in the US, India granted them the rights from the beginning. These bills complete political justice for women, Meghwal underlined.
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Meghwal said that the Opposition had demanded the quick implementation of the 2023 Act. However, since it was linked to the ongoing Census, there would have been a delay, he added. That is why, the minister underlined, the present Bills have been introduced to provide reservation for women.
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He said this required a 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha, with one-third of the seats reserved for women.
This Bill was first introduced in 1996 when H D Deve Gowda was PM, Meghwal said, adding that it was then sent to a parliamentary panel under Geeta Mukherjee. It was attempted again in 1998 and 1999, when Vajpayee was PM, and then, when Manmohan Singh was PM, he recalled. It was passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010, Meghwal recalled. He said that it finally became a reality when Parliament passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in 2023.
After four decades, it was under PM Modi that Parliament approved women’s reservation, Meghwal said, adding that the House is meeting again to implement it.
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Meghwal recalled the names of women scholars in the Vedic period, famous queens in history, women social workers and women freedom fighters. He added that 15 women were also part of the Constituent Assembly.
