The Women’s Reservation Bill, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in the legislature, should be passed in the coming session of Parliament without any further delay, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M. Karunanidhi said here on Monday.
Each session of Parliament brought with it hopes of the Bill, which is hanging fire since its introduction in 1996, getting passed. But it could not be adopted for various reasons, including resistance from some Opposition parties. The Bill, which has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha, is awaiting Lok Sabha nod, the former Chief Minister said in a statement.
Mr. Karunanidhi said that the Constitution-supported reserved constituency system had been established at all levels to ensure political rights of the Dalits.
The DMK, he said, had always demonstrated its concern for reservation for women.
Though the Constitution provided for the contest of both men and women in elections, women could be liberated from the dominance of men in the electoral arena by getting a percentage of seats reserved for them, Mr. Karunanidhi opined.
