Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked the government over the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament and said the proposed legislation is an “attempt to change the electoral map of the country, while hiding behind the women of India”.
While speaking in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi made it clear that the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill introduced in the Assembly was different from the one introduced in 2023 and had nothing to do with reservation for women.
“There are some truths that need to be said here today in this House. The first truth is that this is not a women’s bill. It has nothing to do with women’s empowerment,” Gandhi said in his address to the Lok Sabha.
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In an attempt to make a difference with the proposed 2023 bill that seeks to reserve one-third for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies, the opposition leader said: “There is a women’s bill. It was passed in 2023 in this same assembly. My friends and gurus in the BJP said it will be implemented in 10 years. This is the women’s bill. This is an attempt to change the electoral map of India.”
The Congress leader criticized the government for allegedly “hiding behind the women of India.” He also said that opposition leaders would support the government if it introduced the Women’s Reservation Bill.
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He added: “Instead of giving them special reservations for women, which is very easy and every member of the opposition will support it now. Prepare this old bill now and we will help you pass it for implementation from this moment. This is the women’s bill and this is something else.”
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Gandhi said that the government’s agenda was to bypass caste and wrest power from OBCs and deprived sections
“What they are trying to do is avoid giving power, give representation to my OBC brothers and sisters and take power away from them. That is the agenda here,” he said.
He claimed that the government is trying to ensure that caste census has nothing to do with representation in the next 10 to 15 years.
He also said that the government will withdraw representation from south India and added that the opposition will not allow the government to do so.
