Congress, Samajwadi Party snatched away 33% women’s reservation: Arjun Ram Meghwal

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that there was a golden opportunity to provide 33% reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies, but the Congress, through its “politics of hatred,” snatched it away.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Meghwal said that the Congress, Samajwadi Party, and other opposition parties were afraid that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would get the credit for it, so they prevented the bill from passing.

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He alleged that the Samajwadi Party was playing politics by demanding reservation for Muslim women on the basis of religion, which is not permitted under the Constitution. Meanwhile, the DMK feared that this would reduce the number of seats in the southern states.

He elaborated that after delimitation, the number of seats in the Lok Sabha was going to increase to 815, of which 272 seats would be reserved for women. This was a constitutional amendment, and based on this formula, the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly would have increased after 2029.

The Union Minister stated that the Samajwadi Party had agreed during the negotiations, but as soon as the discussion began in the House, they began demanding separate reservations for Muslim women. The opposition acted against the women’s rights that were set to be realised.

He reiterated that the central government is committed to women’s political empowerment, saying the bill would have been a historic step in that direction.