Women’s Reservation Bill: How different is BJP’s ‘Nari Shakti Vandan' from original bill?

On Tuesday, the Centre introduced the women’s reservation bill in the new Parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing new Parliament in the swanky new complex, called on all parties to forget the bitterness of the past and begin a new chapter by passing the Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam unanimously. “For that work of giving power to women and for many such noble works, God has chosen me….This date of 19 September is going to be etched in history.” “When we are starting a new chapter, we should forget all past bitterness,” he added. But what is the BJP’s Nari Shakti Vandan? And how is it different from the original women’s reservation bill? Let’s take a closer look: What is it? The bill is entitled the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2023. Approved by the Union Cabinet on Monday, it was the first legislative measure to be introduced by the government in the new building.

The bill mandates reserving a third of the seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women.

The bill proposes that the reservation will continue for 15 years and there will be a quota for SC/STs – as many as a third – within the seats reserved for women. Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation exercise. Introduced in the Lower House by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, it will come into effect only after a delimitation exercise is completed and is thus unlikely to be in force during the next Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Data shows that women MPs account for about 15 per cent of Lok Sabha strength and the representation of women is under 10 per cent in many state assemblies, including Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, and Gujarat. Officials said as per provisions of Article 368, the Constitution amendment bill will require ratification by at least 50 per cent of the states. Their consent is needed as it affects their rights. What about the original reservation bill? The first women’s reservation bill was introduced in 1997 by the government of then prime minister HD Deve Gowda. Known as the Constitution (81st Amendment) Bill, it recommended reserving a third of seats in Parliament and state legislatures for women. As per PRS India, the bill led to a debate about OBC women and whether such a bill would bring them equal benefits. [caption id=“attachment_13146882” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The HD Deve Gowda introduced the Constitution (81st Amendment) Bill in 1997.[/caption] A 21-member Select Committee of Parliament which included several senior leaders across parties like Mamata Banerjee, Sushma Swaraj Nitish Kumar, Sharad Pawar, and others was established to enquire into the matter, as per Outlook. The Mukherjee committee eventually presented its report in December 1996.

However, the bill lapsed after the Lok Sabha dissolved.

The bill was subsequently reintroduced by the NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajypayee and the UPA I and II regimes, but failed to pass the Lok Sabha. It is important to note here that bills introduced and passed in the Rajya Sabha do not lapse. What do experts say? As per News18, the Modi government can argue that this bill is an improvement on the original – and the earlier bills – as it has consulted with all political parties and achieved far more of a consensus. “The bill could, hence, be the legacy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recognising the importance of women in Indian politics at the highest level,” the piece stated. A piece in Outlook stated that the constituents of the INDIA bloc have never been in the same boat about the Women’s Reservation Bill. “It is though very early to grasp their future negotiations; records of their former party leaders represent their robust stance against it,” the piece noted.

The piece noted that the difference of opinions between political parties left the Women’s Reservation Bill adrift.

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“The timing of the Union Cabinet’s approval of it- just before the INDIA bloc starts their discussions over seat-sharing is seemingly a political masterstroke,” the piece concluded. Congress claims victory, others slam Centre Congress’ parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday told reporters, “It is ours, apna hai.” Women Congress supporters were also seen celebrating the bill at the AICC headquarters in Delhi. [caption id=“attachment_13144212” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] All India Mahila Congress president Netta D’Souza with DPCC chief Arvinder Singh Lovely and others celebrate the Women’s Reservation Bill, at AICC Headquarters in New Delhi. PTI[/caption] “We welcome the reported decision of the Union Cabinet and await the details of the Bill,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on X. “This could have very well been discussed in the all-party meeting before the Special Session, and consensus could have been built instead of operating under a veil of secrecy.” On Monday, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram posted on X:

If the government introduces the Women's Reservation Bill tomorrow, it will be a victory for the Congress and its allies in the UPA government

Remember, it was during the UPA government that the Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on 9-3-2010

In its 10th year, the BJP is…

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) September 18, 2023

However, addressing a press conference in the National Capital, AAP leader Atishi said it was a “Mahila Bewakoof Banao” bill. “We demand that the provisions of delimitation and census be done way with and the women’s reservation be implemented for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” she said. According to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, reservation for women should be a balance of gender justice and social justice and demanded clarity on share of backward, Dalit, minority, and tribals in the seats set aside. BSP supremo Mayawati said her party will support any bill that allows reservation for women in Parliament and other legislatures, even if the party’s demand for a quota for the SC, ST and OBC within that quota is not met. “We believe that after discussion the women reservation bill will be passed this time which had been pending since long,” Mayawati said. Senior RJD leader Rabri Devi said in a statement that “quota within quotas” was essential for weaker sections of society “since it is only their first generation of women which is becoming educated and aware”. Meghalaya’s lone woman minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, from the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, termed it a historic decision that would herald change in the otherwise male-dominated politics of the country. Experts welcome move, but warn challenges lie ahead Many women’s groups and other experts welcomed the move towards guaranteeing women reservation but also pointed to the challenges that lay ahead. The purpose of the legislation to uplift women would be defeated if the elected representatives under the quota were from the same families where male members are in politics, said Shilpi Jain, a prominent lawyer. “There could be a provision to encourage women who are not from political backgrounds to contest, otherwise the purpose would be defeated by reservation,” she said. Shabnam Hashmi, from the Left-leaning NGO Anhad, said, “At the MLA and MP levels, there would be a difference. She would need to establish herself at the constituency level, she will need to be more assertive and more dependent on herself rather than the family,” she said With inputs from agencies