Long pending Women’s Reservation Bill was introduced in Parliament on Tuesday 6 May 2008, twelve years after it was drafted in 1996.
What is it all about?
33% (or one-third) Reservation for Women in Center and State Legislatures
Who are supporting it?
Congress, BJP and Left parties are supporting the Bill
Who are opposing it?
Samajwadi MP’s are opposing the Bill in its present form. They are demanding a quote-in-quote, to include minority (OBC,SC/ST) women to have reservations too
What next?
The Bill will be taken up by a standing committee for discussion, which is not time bound. So, it is possible that the standing committee proves to be a cold storage for the Bill
IMHO
The Bill has been a long pending one and it is high time that it passes without much uproar. Instead of moving away from ‘caste based reservations’, the Samajwadi MP’s are trying to nurture the inappropriate culture. With majority MP’s supporting the Bill, I suggest those opposing the Bill to join hands with others and prove this to be a success
