Name venue and fix time to debate Women’s Bill, Congress leaders tell Fadnavis

The Congress issued an official statement after the press conference of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday where he challenged opposition parties to debate the Women’s Reservation Bill with him, stating that they are willing to debate the issue with him, also asking him the time and venue where the debate will be organised.

The development came after Fadnavis challenged the opposition for a debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill at his press conference here on Monday, where he said, “These opposition parties have no counter argument. Any leader of my level should have an open debate with me regarding the Women’s Reservation Bill and show what is wrong with it, but none of them will do it. They have started to make excuses and run away from the debate. So, the BJP will unite women across the country and Maharashtra against this attitude. After they realise the public opinion is going against them, they will approve women’s reservation.”

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Accepting the challenge of an open debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill given by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Congress Working Committee Member and Lok Sabha MP Praniti Shinde said, “The Congress is ready for a debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill. Tell us when and where to come for the debate. Also include Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this debate.”

Addressing a press conference here at Tilak Bhavan, Congress MP Shobha Bacchav and MP Praniti Shinde stated that the Women’s Reservation Bill had already been passed unanimously in 2023, but the BJP government added two conditions to it, namely a census and constituency reorganisation.

“The Congress had demanded 33 per cent reservation for the current Lok Sabha’s 543 seats without these conditions, but the BJP ignored it. The BJP’s attempt to convene a special session on April 16, 2023, in order to introduce the Women’s Reservation Bill was a sham. Their real objective was mere to pass the Constituency Reorganisation Bill, which was a conspiracy to divide the country by creating divisions between the states of South India and North India. Furthermore, an unsuccessful attempt was made to portray the Congress and the India Bloc as anti-women. The BJP played this trick to influence the ongoing assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, but this has backfired on it,” Praniti Shinde said.

“The then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi introduced the Panchayat Raj Bill, providing 33 percent reservation for women in local self-government institutions. Sonia Gandhi subsequently increased this to 50 per cent. Congress did not impose any conditions for this. Today, 1.5 million women hold various positions in Panchayat Raj institutions across the country, which is a contribution made by Congress. Therefore, it is wrong to say that Congress is anti-women,” Lok Sabha MP Praniti Shinde said.

“In reality, it is the BJP which is anti-women. The BJP is trying to spread a false narrative, but women will not fall prey to its propaganda. The BJP’s true face has been exposed. If the Women’s Reservation Bill 2023 had been implemented before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, there would have been approximately 180 women MPs in 543 seats today. This clearly demonstrates that the BJP is anti-women and has completely failed on this issue,” Congress Working Committee Member and Lok Sabha MP Praniti Shinde said.

Responding to the “foeticide” allegation made by Fadnavis, Congress Lok Sabha MP Praniti Shinde said that the atrocities against women in Manipur, the injustice done to female athletes, and case like Hathras, Unnao, Badlapur and godman Ashok Kharat occurred during the BJP’s rule. Everyone knows how the BJP handled these cases. Therefore, not only foeticide, but crimes like character assassination, atrocities against women and their murder are also occurring under the BJP’s rule. There’s no need to explain how much respect women receive in the BJP and the RSS. Why has no woman become the national president in the BJP’s history? They should give an answer,” Congress Working Committee Member and Lok Sabha MP Praniti Shinde said.

In a related development, National Working President of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule held a press conference on Monday, and said, “The Women’s Reservation was passed in 2023 itself. There was a possibility of reservation being implemented during the 2024 Lok Sabha itself. So why has the bill not been implemented even after two and a half years? Now a special session has been called, but what has anybody gained from this”.

“We have become accustomed to the BJP’s duplicity. Why is it not in the bill that 50 percent seats will be increased in each state,” Supriya Sule questioned.

Addressing another press conference, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said, “The Parliament passed the Nari Shakti Act in 2023 itself and on April 16, the Central Government also notified it. So now, who are you trying to fool by playing the drum of women’s reservation again. They are doing this purely to mislead and confuse the people”.

Sanjay Raut also cited an old tweet by then Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on his X account, on September 20, 2023, hailing the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill by stating “Historic moment! The Lok Sabha today approved the Women’s Reservation Bill with a majority. 454 votes were cast in favour of the bill. With this, women will get 33 percent reservation in the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly. This is a historic step under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi”.

“It is a double standard to politicise the same bill which Fadnavis had welcomed a year and a half ago. The Parliament passed the law, and the President gave approval. On April 16, the Central Government issued a notification as well. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister should apologise to the country for making wrong statements and false propaganda. Prime Minister Modi should also apologize to the country for this mess. This was not a reservation bill but a bill to divide constituencies,” Sanjay Raut said.