"Watershed moment in Indian politics...": Actor Vani Tripathi Tikoo backs Women's Reservation Bill

In a conversation with ANI, Vani Tripathi described the bill as a "big win" for women's rights in the country.

Noting that India took over 76 years to find proper representation of women in the Parliament, she said, "For developing countries and a country like India, reservation is a leverage and an opportunity which is required for women to be represented."

"If the parliament itself will have 33 per cent women sitting inside the lower house, the representative house of the parliament, I think it's a very big win for women's rights in India, and it's a very big victory for finding equal opportunities of reservation. It's a watershed moment in Indian politics. I am waiting with bated breath for the first most historical democratic election of India in 2029 to happen, where women will be equal partners. I think it's a very significant movement in the representation of women in India," she said.

In response to certain criticism toward the move, Vani Tripathi added, "I think this critique is very wrong. It's a leverage, and this escalation will only bring a tsunami of women leaders in India at every single level, both at the state legislature and at the parliament level."

Tripathi believes the larger inclusion of women will help represent the society at large.

"Women will not just represent women, they will represent society at large, whether it's children, whether it's men, whether it's women, whether it's the elders. I think it's a huge change. Macro-level things will open up, which otherwise get snubbed in the large conversation of governance every day in the country," she said.

This comes after PM Modi, in a rally in Dibrugarh, said the government will take up amendments to the Women's Reservation Amendment Bill during a special session of Parliament, scheduled to be held on April 16, 17 and 18.

The Government has planned two major amendments. 2023's Nari Shakti Vandan Act tied women's reservation to the new census and delimitation. Due to census delays, the plan is to proceed with the 2011 census data.

Currently, the Lok Sabha has 543 seats. With a proposed 50% increase, the number of seats will rise to 816, with 273 (about a third) reserved for women. (ANI)