As her husband Rajiv Gandhi had established reservation in local bodies, Mrs. Gandhi stated that speaking on the bill was an emotional experience for her.
The Congress and the BJP sparred in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday during the discussion of the Women’s Reservation Bill. Former Congress leader Sonia Gandhi called for immediate passage of the bill and a reservation for Other Backward Classes, but BJP MP Nishikant Dubey charged that the party was inventing new demands in order to advance its political interests. He also asserted that the party had never discussed an OBC quota in relation to the reservation for female legislators.
As the first member of the opposition to speak on the bill, Mrs. Gandhi stated that her party supports the legislation but that the 33% quota for women should include a reservation for Other Backward Classes. She added that speaking about the bill brought tears to her eyes because her husband Rajiv Gandhi had been the first to introduce a bill on the topic of reservations for women in local bodies.
The previous head of the Congress party spoke in Hindi, “I stand here in favor of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam on behalf of the Indian National Congress. The Indian woman’s trip has been a long one, taking her from smoke-filled kitchens to stadiums lighted by floodlights. However, she has now arrived at her goal.
Send in a remark She said, “Speaking on this bill is an emotional moment for me because the constitutional amendment providing reservation for women in local bodies had been tabled by my husband Rajiv Gandhi. Women have fought shoulder to shoulder with men in the fight for Independence and the creation of a new India. It had been passed by the PV Narasimha Rao-led Congress administration. As long as this bill is passed, Rajiv Gandhi’s dream will be fully realized, which it has only partially done thus far.
