At an all-party meeting ahead of the Special Session of the Parliament, parties across the spectrum pushed for the passage of Women's Reservation Bill.
The Narendra Modi government has called a five-day Special Session of the Parliament that starts on Monday. The agenda of the session is shrouded in secrecy.
From the Opposition Congress to the faction of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the parties called for the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill.
Moreover, NCP MP Praful Patel said after the meeting that the session would involve the move to the New Parliament Complex on Tuesday on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, a Hindu festival dedicated to Lord Ganesh and of particular significance in Maharashtra where NCP is primarily based.
"We appeal to govt to pass the women's reservation bill in this Parliament session...We are hopeful that women's reservation bill will be passed with consensus if tabled in Parliament...Parliament will shift to new building on auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi on September 19," said Patel, as per PTI.
After the meeting, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was also quoted as saying that all parties demanded the passage of the bill in the session.
The Women's Reservation Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2008 and was passed in 2010. However, no further progress on the bill was made. The bill sought to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies, according to PLS Legislative Research.
The Women's Reservation Bill has made it to the political discourse lately amid the speculations and uncertainty over the agenda of the Special Session of the Parliament. It has been speculated that the Modi government could bring major policy or legislative agenda during the session, such as changing the name of the nation to Bharat (instead of both Bharat and India as it is currently) or bringing universal civil code (UCC). It has also been speculated that the government could push for 'one nation, one election' in the session, which was further fuelled by the announcement of a committee shortly after the session was announced.
Anticipation is building as the five-day Parliament session approaches, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) putting forth a significant proposal during an all-party gathering convened by the government on Sunday. The TMC suggested setting aside a dedicated day for discussing "people's issues," a proposal that found support from various opposition parties during the pre-session meeting held just a day before Parliament's commencement.
According to sources, the TMC recommended allocating one of the three scheduled government business days to address pressing concerns such as unemployment and the rising cost of living. Additionally, the party proposed engaging in discussions on critical subjects like the state of the economy and pending payments to states.
While the TMC's suggestions garnered support from fellow opposition parties, there was reportedly no immediate response from the government during the meeting.
As Parliament prepares to move to its new premises, BJD MP Pinaki Misra anticipates the dawn of a new era, highlighting the opportunity it presents to champion women's reservation, a cause firmly endorsed by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for years.
CPI MP Binoy Viswam, criticized the Centre's inconsistency in portraying the nature of the ongoing Parliament session. He emphasized the importance of allowing members to utilize the zero-hour effectively. Viswam also highlighted that there is unanimous support among all parties for the passage of the Women Reservation Bill.
Following the meeting, the PTI reported Congress leader Chowdhury as saying that the government had informed them it was a regular session of Parliament.
"Only the government knows what its intention is. It may surprise everyone with some new agenda," said Chowdhury, as per PTI, adding that issues such as price rise, unemployment, the situation on the border with China were raised by his party in the meeting.
Most of the parties, however, focussed on the Women's Reservation Bill during the all-party meeting, including Biju Janta Dal (BJD) and Bharat Rashtra Party (BRS).
For the special session of the parliament, floor leaders of Opposition bloc INDIA will meet at 10 am on Monday at the office of Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament House to chalk out the strategy for the Floor of the House, reported ANI.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, in a statement following the meeting, revealed that the government had communicated the session's agenda. Notably, this Special Session will see the consideration of a total of eight bills, including the four bills already listed for deliberation.
"The government has kept the agenda of the upcoming Parliament Special Session under wraps, while opposition parties, along with RLP and LJP, unitedly pressed for the reinstatement of two suspended MPs, including myself and Raghav Chadha from Rajya Sabha," stated AAP leader Sanjay Azad
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the Deputy Leader of the House in Lok Sabha; Union Minister Piyush Goyal, the leader of the House in Rajya Sabha; and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi represented the government in the meeting. Among the attendees were also Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former Prime Minister and JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda, DMK's Kanimozhi, TDP's Ram Mohan Naidu, TMC's Derek O'Brien, AAP's Sanjay Singh, BJD's Sasmit Patra, BRS' K Keshava Rao, YSR Congress Party's V Vijayasai Reddy, RJD's Manoj Jha, JD(U)'s Anil Hegde, and SP's Ram Gopal Yadav among others.
