Biggest election jumla: Congress on women's reservation bill

In a tweet, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote: "In a season of election jumlas, this one is the biggest of them all! A huge betrayal of the hopes of crores of Indian women and girls".

Jairam's comments followed when the Central government Tuesday tabled the Women's Reservation Bill 2023 in Lok Sabha.

"As we had pointed out earlier, the Modi government has not yet conducted the 2021 Decadal Census, making India the only country in G20 that has failed to carry out the Census," stated the Congress General Secretary.

The bill introduces 33 percent of reservation to women in the lower house of parliament and State assemblies.

Slamming the Modi government, the Congress General Secretary said, "Now it says that the reservation for women will come into effect only following the first decadal Census conducted after the Women’s Reservation Bill has become an Act. When will this Census take place?".

Jairam continued that the Bill has proposed that the reservation would come into effect only after the publication of the next census and the subsequent delimitation exercise thereafter.

"Will the Census and delimitation be done before the 2024 elections?" he asked.

"Basically, the Bill gets the headlines today with a very vague promise of its implementation date. This is nothing but EVM — Event Management," he  added.

The Prime Minister, after the bill was tabled, said it would be regarded as a "historic day" and urged the Opposition to unanimously pass the Bill - 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' - that has been hanging for nearly three decades.

"On this historic occasion in the new Parliament building, as the first proceeding of the House, the gateways for women's power are being opened with this crucial decision," PM Modi said.