Hyderabad: Ready to give up my seat for women’s quota, says KT Rama Rao

Hyderabad : Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao on Wednesday made an interesting comment that he was ready to lose his seat if it goes for women under the proposed women’s quota. Speaking after inaugurating the International Tech Park at Madhapur, he made the comment in the presence of the Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Singapore Jessica Tan.

The minister said, “Indian Parliament is debating the Women’s Reservation Bill, which we of course welcome wholeheartedly. We want to see more and more leaders; If I have to lose my seat for that so be it. We all have a limited shelf life which is fine. I think I have done my thing. The thing is Women’s Reservation Bill is an important milestone. I am glad you are in India witnessing it,” said Rao. The Singapore Deputy Speaker was surprised.

Meanwhile, the ruling BRS party demanded the Centre to implement the Women’s Reservation Bill from the 2024 elections. Welcoming its introduction, party leader in the Lok Sabha Nama Nageswara Rao said they want the Centre to reveal when the process of Census and delimitation will be completed by the government.

Participating in the debate on the bill in the House on Wednesday, he urged the Centre to complete the 128th constitutional amendment and the delimitation process quickly and implement the 33 per cent reservation for women in the legislative Assemblies in the 2024 elections. Rao said that the women’s quota Bill was mentioned in 1996 during the Deve Gowda government, in the 12th Lok Sabha during the Vajpayee government and in the 13th and 15th Lok Sabhas but it was not passed. He said the Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha during the period of the 15th Lok Sabha, but it was pending in the Lower House. ‘It is a happy occasion that it is being passed now’.

The MP said it has been 10 years since the State government sent a resolution to the Centre in the first Telangana Assembly session in June 2014. He said already in the State 50 per cent reservation is being enforced in sarpanch, MPTC, MPP and JTPTC elections. Rao urged the Centre to complete the rest of the process quickly and take steps to implement the 33 per cent reservation for women in the upcoming elections.