The BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been basking in limelight since the union cabinet cleared the historic Women's Reservation Bill mandating 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state Legislative Assemblies.
However, this is not the first time that the Government of India has tried to implement the bill. Successive governments from the 90s have tried to unsuccessfully do so, from HD Deve Gowda to Manmohan Singh. Even before that, the Rajiv Gandhi and PV Narasimha Rao governments paved the way for demand for women’s reservation. With the bill once again tabled for approval from Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha following cabinet clearance, we take a look back at the political history of the women’s reservation bill.
