Implement women’s quota immediately: Uttam

Kodad ( Suryapet): Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddydemanded that the Women’s Reservation Bill, passed by Parliament, must be implemented immediately without any delay.

Uttam Kumar Reddy, along with his wife and former MLA N Padmavathi launched the Congress’s ‘Six guarantees’ campaign in the Kodad constituency on Monday. Speaking on the occasion, they said that like in other States of Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, Congress would form a government in Telangana and implement the six guarantees announced by Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

They welcomed the Women’s Reservation Bill but criticized the Modi government’s proposed delayed implementation.

The Congress MP alleged that the BJP government wants to delay the implementation of the bill by at least 10 years by linking it to the next Census and delimitation of constituencies. He said that the Modi-led government is using the Women’s Reservation Bill as a propaganda tool and “jumla”.

Uttam Kumar Reddy traced the history of the Women’s Reservation Bill to the Congress government led by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. In 1987, Rajiv Gandhi’s government constituted a 14-member committee under Union Minister Margaret Alva which recommended reservation of seats for women in elected bodies. This recommendation paved the way amendment in the Constitution and reservation of one-third of seats for women in Panchayati Raj institutions.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Congress party always had a proper vision for women’s empowerment and also the necessary political will to execute its plans. However, he said, that the BJP government is trying to use the Women’s Reservation Bill as a tool to distract people’s attention from other issues like the Congress-led opposition’s demand for a caste-based census.

He said that if the BJP was serious about the Women’s Reservation Bill, it could have passed it in 2014 itself as it had the required strength in the Lok Sabha. In such a scenario, the Women’s Reservation Bill could have been a reality in the 2024 elections. However, the BJP government did nothing in the last 10 years and with less than six months left before the elections, it called a 4-day special session of Parliament to pass a long-pending bill so that it could be implemented after 10 years.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the BJP is now trying to use the Women’s Reservation Bill as an event to make political gains in the next general elections. However, he said that people are aware of the BJP’s cheap tactics and publicity stunts.