A proposed piece of legislation aimed at ensuring a 33 per cent reservation for women in both the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies has reportedly received approval from the Union Cabinet, according to sources as reported by India Today TV on Monday. Although the government has yet to issue an official statement regarding this development, it is strongly anticipated that the women's reservation bill will be introduced for discussion during the ongoing special session of Parliament.
This significant decision was reached during a meeting convened at 6:30 p.m., following the initial sitting of the special Parliament session.
The bill, in its essence, guarantees a 33 per cent quota for women in both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, a cause that has garnered support from leaders across the political spectrum who have been advocating for its introduction.
While the government has refrained from making an official announcement at this juncture, Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel expressed his views through a tweet, stating, "Only the Modi government had the moral courage to fulfil the demand for women's reservation, as underscored by the cabinet's approval. Congratulations @narendramodi ji and congratulations to the Modi government (sic)."
Speculation and anticipation surrounding the much-debated women's reservation bill had been circulating ever since the announcement of the special Parliament session.
In response, the Congress party claimed that the bill had long been a part of their agenda. While Congress leader Jairam Ramesh welcomed the Union Cabinet's decision, he also took to Twitter, stating, "This could very well have been discussed during the all-party meeting prior to the Special Session, where a consensus could have been reached instead of operating under a veil of secrecy."
The cabinet meeting that yielded this pivotal decision was convened under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and counted among its attendees Union ministers such as Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Piyush Goyal, Pralhad Joshi, S Jaishankar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nitin Gadkari, Arjun Ram Meghwal, and others.
