The Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023 was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, the fourth day of the special Parliament session in the new Parliament Building, without any opposition in its seventh attempt since being introduced in 1996. The bill reserves 1/3 of all seats in the Lok Sabha, and in all state legislative assemblies and the Delhi Legislative Assembly for women.

Hailing the passage of the bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the House that the positive approach of all the political parties of the country towards this bill is going to give a new energy to the women power of the nation.

PM further emphasized that women empowerment is not only achieved by the passing of this bill but that it goes beyond that. It will come forward with leadership and contribute to nation-building with a new belief. It, in itself, will be a guarantee for our bright future, he said.

After the passing of the bill, the Women Members of Parliament met Modi to express their happiness with sweets and flowers.

On Friday, PM, addressing an event organised by the BJP Mahila Morcha, stated that ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act’ has been passed by both the houses of the Parliament with record votes and that the BJP government has had the privilege of fulfilling the dreams of millions of mothers and sisters.

He said that the bill, which has been passed after 27 years, was a proclamation of the new democratic commitment of the new India and a direct proof of the guarantee that he had given to bring a new era of Women Led Development in the country.

During the discussion in the RS on Thursday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had said that the Women’s Reservation Bill has provisions for reservation of SC and ST women but, a large section of women, belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) was still left out of nation-building and politics.

Pointing to the two mandatory conditions in the Bill, that the bill will be implemented only after the conduct of census and delimitation, Kharge questioned, “what was the need to link women’s reservation with census and delimitation?”

On Friday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the Bill was a “distraction tactic” and a diversion from OBC section.

We (Congress) agree with and we have supported the Women’s Reservation Bill but remove these two clauses and make it happen today, Gandhi said in the media conference. Stating that the bill is a central step in the empowerment of women, he also pointed out that it may take ten years to implement it. “Don’t insult the intelligence of Indian women,” he added.

Gandhi also said that the Congress regrets 100 per cent that the OBC quota was not included when it first introduced the bill.