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Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday attacked the government over manner in which it is seeking to implement the Women's Reservation Act, saying OBCs are being deprived of their rights, influence of some states is being reduced and an architecture is being created to strengthen BJP "by blowing democracy to smithereens".
Participating in a debate in Lok Sabha on three bills, including a legislation to implement women's reservation Act from 2029 general elections and the Delimitation Bill, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the government of trying to mislead people and attacking democracy in the country. Assuring full support for women's reservation to the government if done with honesty, she called upon the government to implement it within the existing strength of the Lok Sabha, along with reservation for SC, ST and OBC women. "The government is trying to befool people and is attacking the integrity of the country in a big way. On the one hand, there is big talk, on the other the rights of OBCs are sought to be taken away silently and democracy is being blown to smithereens by reducing power of some states," she alleged. Priyanka Gandhi questioned the government's decision to link the Women's Reservation (Amendment) Bill to an increase in Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850, based on 2011 population Census figures. "Firstly, it is written that Women Reservation should be implemented from 2029. We support it. Then it says that to implement the Bill, the Lok Sabha seats would increase from 533 to 850. It would be based on the 2011 population census," she said, expressing concern over the removal of the 2023 provision that required population census followed by delimitation. "They want to move forward with the 2011 census because there are no figures for the OBC community in it," she said, noting that the Constitution is for everyone and cannot run by "snatching somebody's right". The Wayanad MP alleged lack of transparency in the seat expansion process, calling it "dangerous" with no clear mechanism for how it would occur. "Another dangerous thing in this is that there is no clear process mentioned about how the 50% change in the Lok Sabha will take place," she said. She alleged that the BJP is attempting to present itself as the "champion" of the women's reservation. "Through PM Modi's address today, it seemed that the BJP has been the "champion and biggest supporter" for the reservation of women. His whole speech was about this, even though he remarked that he needed no credit for this...women can quickly figure out who try to mislead them again and again," she said. The Congress leader said that Rahul Gandhi had written to the PM Modi as early as 2018, urging the women reservation bill's implementation before 2019 Lok Sabha polls. "In 2010, under the leadership of the late Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the Congress Party again attempted to provide reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies. It was even passed in the Rajya Sabha, but consensus failed in the Lok Sabha. In 2018, Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to PM Modi, stating that women's reservation should be implemented by 2019. I suspect the Prime Minister may mock Rahul Gandhi here, but he considers his words when he returns home," she said. Priyanka Gandhi said the provision of 33 per cent reservation in panchayats and municipalities was first introduced in the House by the Indian National Congress government under the leadership of the late Rajiv Gandhi. "I would like to give a little background on this topic. Because the Prime Minister mentioned a lot in his speech about who stopped it, how it was stopped, and how this decision was stalled for 30 years. My colleagues in the ruling party may not like this, but the historical background is that it was also initiated by a man named Nehru. But don't worry, this is not the Nehru you so shy away from. His father, Motilal Nehru, prepared a report in 1928 and presented it to the Congress Party's Working Committee," she said. "In it, he listed 19 fundamental rights. In 1931, the Congress session was held in Karachi under the chairmanship of Sardar Patel. This resolution was passed at that Karachi session, marking the beginning of women's equal rights becoming a part of our country's politics. At the same time, the principle of "One Vote, One Citizen, One Value" was also established in our politics. In countries like the United States, they had to wait and struggle for this right for 150 years. Implementing women's reservations in our country's political system was a unique step in the world," she added. (ANI)
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