Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 18: After the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to clear the Lok Sabha, former Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi launched a sharp attack on the Union government, alleging a lack of genuine intent to ensure adequate representation for women in Parliament.

Chaturvedi said the public can now clearly see the government’s political approach, accusing it of linking women’s reservation to census and delimitation processes instead of implementing it immediately within the existing parliamentary structure.

She reiterated the Opposition’s stand that the Women’s Reservation Bill, passed in 2023, should be implemented without delay and without being tied to future seat restructuring. According to her, delaying the measure undermines the objective of ensuring meaningful political representation for women.

The leader claimed that the Opposition remains united on the issue and challenged the government to bring the proposed amendments again in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. She also argued that the original law had broad parliamentary consensus and was intended to secure 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures.

Chaturvedi further criticised the government for not demonstrating adequate commitment during the 2024 general elections, alleging that women were not given proportional representation in candidate selection. She said the implementation timeline extending to 2029 reflects a lack of urgency.

She maintained that the Opposition had consistently demanded immediate implementation of the quota within the current 543 Lok Sabha seats, rather than linking it to future delimitation exercises.

Reaffirming her position, Chaturvedi said true empowerment would require immediate allocation of one-third of seats to women and similar action from allied parties of the ruling coalition. She concluded that, in her view, the ruling party has not shown genuine intent to ensure fair representation for women in political institutions.