Parliament special session updates | Lok Sabha passes women’s reservation bill

The Lower House has passed the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill which provides for one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.

After the Bill was passed, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day. Proceedings will resume at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

The Lower House is presently voting on amendments in the Bill that seeks to give women 33% reservation in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.

Update: SansadTV earlier reported that the Lower House had passed the Bill. However, the post was later deleted. We regret the error.

(Credit:SansadTV)

Voting is underway in the Lower House on a proposed amendment in the women’s reservation Bill.

During voting on the women’s reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha, as many as 454 MPs voted in favour, while 2 objected to the legislation.

Before concluding, Vice President and Chair of the upper house Jagdeep Dhankhar thanked members for contributing their perspective to the resolution on India’s glorious space journey. He noted that members shared the sense of pride and accomplishment about the country’s space odyssey. Mr Dhankhar stated, the accomplishment stood as a “befitting testament to country’s scientific and technological self-reliance”. It would also provide new frontier for space exploration.

The House then unanimously voted to adopt the resolution.

Its text reads:

“ India’s space program is a source of national pride; it is a continuing testimony to country’s inherent scientific and technological progress. Affirmative ecosystem and visionary leadership has enabled our scientists to fully realise their potential, unleash their energy and attain this historical milestone. This house appreciates and recognises the scientists, including and particularly, women scientists, for achieving this arduous feat with successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-III near unconquered South Pole of moon. This accomplishment along with other space missions will usher in long lasting economic and social upliftment.”

The upper house concluded for the day having passed the resolution to congratulate scientists pm the soft landing of the Chandrayaan-III mission on moon and the country’s glorious space journey.

Proceedings would now recommence on Thursday, Sept 21 at 11 a.m.

Vice President Dhankhar also informed that the Constitution (128th) Amendment Bill would be taken for consideration and passing after it is reported to the (upper) house on Thursday. The minimum time allocated for discussion is seven and half hours, that is, members would discuss the important bill for at least seven and half hours.

The Lok Sabha is voting on the women’s reservation Bill. PM Narendra Modi is present in the House.

Since the seating plan has not been finalised, voting is being done by paper slips. MPs have to sign their names on either the green side of the paper slip to record their support and opposition in red slips. For abstaining, a member has to ask for a separate yellow slip.

Arjun Ram Meghwal, minister of Law and Justice, says surpassing delimitation and Census provisions will leave the reservation Bill vulnerable to Constitutional challenge. “We have thought about this... we won’t let the Bill get stuck due to technical details.”

The HEC staff members have not received salaries for the last 18 months, the MP says. “They sell tea in the morning before heading to the office,” she adds.

Leader of the House Piyush Goyal responds to MP Maji and says that allegations must be substantiated with proof in the House.

The MP also informs the House that HEC staffers will be staging a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Thursday.

In January 2023, PTI reported that around 1,300 staffers of HEC have not been paid their salaries for over a year forcing them to live in penury. “The employees alleged that because of this situation, they are unable to pay their children’s education fees or treat ailing family members properly, and some of them including officers have started selling fruits or tea to make both ends meet.” Read more here

Amit Shah appealed to the Parliament to pass the Bill unanimously. To concerns about OBC representation, delimitation and the delay in implementation, Mr. Shah said there will be no delay. Census and delimitation exercises will be conducted soon after the elections, and women will have a greater voice in the Parliament, he adds. In a rebuttal to Rahul Gandhi’s speech, Mr. Shah said out of the 85 BJP ministers, 29 are from OBC. “Those claiming to speak for OBCs should know that it is BJP which gave an OBC prime minister,” he says.

“We have disappointed women four times before. We have to rise above politics now... Today, I want to urge the treasury and opposition that we should unite on this new beginning and with consensus amend the Constitution to give reservation to women,” he says.

The MP also congratulates MoS Jitendra Singh for the leadership. House Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar points out that the department is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was an extraordinary achievement, the MP says.

He says that it is notable that India was able to accomplish the achievement in funds way less than what other countries like the U.S. and Russia spend on similar missions.

Home Minister Amit Shah talks about the women-centric initiatives the Modi government has introduced ever since it took power. “Women’s security, respect and equal participation have been the life force of government since PM Modi took the oath of office,” he says.

Mr. Shah enumerated schemes such as free LPG cylinders, Mahila Samman Savings scheme, maternity leave and Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao as initiatives that have empowered women. Opposition members objected to Mr. Shah exceeding the time limit.

Mr. Shah adds that the women’s reservation Bill will ensure the participation of women in decision-making, and policy-making in the country. He asks why the Bill was not passed despite being tabled four times in the Parliament previously. He took a jibe at the Opposition, saying, “The problem is their roots are not in India, I don’t want to say where they are.”

The women’s reservation Bill is a mark of respect and the beginning of a new era, the Home Minister said. He added that Prime Minister Modi presented a vision of women-led progress at the recently concluded G-20 session.

Immediately after Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s speech, Amit Shah took the stage and said yesterday will be marked in history. “Yesterday was Ganesh Chaturthi, it was the inauguration of the new Parliament and we introduced the Women’s Reservation bill in Parliament,” he says.

Mr. Shah adds that other parties see women’s empowerment as a “political issue” and a political tool for vote bank politics, but “for BJP and Narendra Modi ji is it an issue of principles and beliefs.”

Rahul Gandhi says the government wants to draw attention away from the Adani-Hindenburg report and caste census. He says, “Every time the Opposition raises the issue of caste census, the BJP tries to create a distraction, a new event so that the OBC community and the people of India look the other way.”

Mr. Gandhi asks the government to release the data of the Caste census done by us or “we will release it”, he says.

Mr. Gandhi also says that the caste census is the only way to ensure representation for OBCs. He says despite forming a huge chunk of the population, they control and define only 5% of India’s budget and only three out of the 90 secretaries are OBCs. “This is an insult and a shame to the OBC community,” he says.

The Indian National Congress member drew attention to the President’s absence from the new Parliament building. “I would have liked to see the President of India in this premise. The President of India is a woman, she represents the tribal community, it would have been befitting to have her presence in this transfer from one house to the another,” he says.

The Wayanad MP says he supports the Bill and agrees it’s an important step, no reservation for OBC women is a “missing” link. “I would like to see OBC reservation included in this Bill. A large chunk of India’s population and India’s women should have access to this reservation, and that is missing in this Bill,” he says.

Mr. Gandhi adds that two “strange” things about implementation are the requirements to conduct a Census and a delimitation exercise. He says the reservation Bill can be implemented today by giving 33% of the seats in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha to women. “Delimitation and census not required, the bill should be immediately implemented,” he says.

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“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were told to sell papad (snacks) and bang utensils. This is not science and technology, this is blind faith,” the Shiv Sena MP says.

The COVID-19 vaccine was made by scientists but the Prime Minister put his photo on vaccination certificates, this is not okay, he adds.

Assam MP from the All India United Democratic Frontsays while BJP tries to take credit for the Bill, it was Rajiv Gandhi who first introduced the Bill and the Congress party which passed the Bill in Lok Sabha. “When the Bill moved to Rajya Sabha, the BJP refused to offer support and today they are taking credit,” he said to a roaring house. Mr. Ajmal adds that women’s reservation is women’s rights. The Parliament should also consider the scarce resources available for women’s education and political parties should encourage local women candidates to contest elections, he says.

The scientists are the real heroes because they delivered a successful mission despite a budgetary cut of 8% this fiscal year compared to FY2022-23 for the Department of Space, the MP says.

MoS Jitendra Singh intervenes and says that the moment of landing was shown in the live feed simultaneously alongside the Prime Minister’s visual on a split screen. MP Biswas points out that he has not yielded and his “time is being eaten into” by the MoS.

Vijay Kumar Hansdak, MP of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, says the President, an Adivasi woman, was absent from the inauguration events of the new Parliament building. “You have invited many people, but the Chair through which this House commences...why don’t we see her?” he says. Mr. Hansdak adds that while the Parliament talks about giving respect and recognition to women, the President’s absence from the new Parliament building is an “insult to the chair”.

Chhattisgarh’s former chief minister and BJP national vice-president Raman Singh called the BJP government’s introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha as one of the “milestones in India’s Parliamentary history”. Mr. Singh added that women’s representation in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies will bolster India’s overall development.

“The empowerment of women scientists clearly shows that in India, there is enough opportunity for women, provided that they are given access,” the minister says.

She also takes the opportunity to draw attention to the women’s reservation Bill, currently under discussion in the Lok Sabha. “This is an instrument through which the political empowerment of women can be done, just as scientific empowerment has been happening in ISRO,” she says.

“In 1975, we needed the Soviet Union’s help to launch our first satellite Aryabhatta, and today we have launched 431 foreign satellites for other countries till July 2023,” Ms. Sitharaman says.

The minister also praises ISRO’s innovative choices in the Chandrayaan-3 project, like choosing a route that allows a cost-effective and sustainable method of accomplishing the project.

Ms. Sitharaman also says that ISRO learned immensely from the Chandrayaan-2 mission and identified all errors to eliminate the same, ensuring the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar interrupts Ms. Sitharaman to praise school-going girls present in the galleries of the Upper House, who are there to observe the proceedings.

N.K. Premachandran said the party supports the Bill but sought clarification regarding the nomenclature. “This is a Constitutional amendment Bill. That Bill has to come separately before the Parliament so as to explain the details, and reservations and discuss it further..I can’t understand why a Constitutional Amendment Bill was already named in another language, and that too in Hindi,” he says. Mr. Premachandran adds that the nomenclature of the Bill should be in English, which was rebutted by MP Kiren Rijiju. “There are different names to a Bill, this has happened in the past also, this is not the first time.” He said the List of Business identifies it as the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth) Amendment Bill, 2023, so “there should be no confusion”.

Mr. Javadekar also recalls spending time with Steve Jobs and the inventor’s plans for the iPhone at a time before the device didn’t exist.

He has been called out by Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh to stick to the subject of discussion. Mr. Javadekar praises cashless payments in India as a scientific achievement.

Asaduddin Owaisi says the Bill is “anti-OBC, anti-Muslim” and a “distraction” ahead of the elections. “Why is it that this representation is not extended to OBC and Muslim women? Muslim women form 7% of the population, but in LS their representation is 0.7%. This Modi government wants increased representation for Savarna women, and not for OBC and Muslim women,” he says.

Mr. Owaisi adds that Muslim women face double discrimination due to their gender and religion. Without reservation and with the “rise of Hindu majoritarianism nationalism and the formation of Hindu vote bank by BJP, the Muslim representation has gone down and will go down further.” He also asks if the Prime Minister is an OBC, why is he not looking after his own community.

Science is a subject so far-reaching that it can change our lives, but for that, we have to think about innovations in science at every level. This includes what ISRO has done, but on another level, it also includes what science should do for 1.4 billion people of the country, Mr. Sibal says.

“The funding we do in research is so minimal that we won’t be able to find solutions for the everyday problems of common people,” he adds.

“What ISRO has done is great, but there are miles to go before we sleep.”

“We will stand with the decision of the INDIA alliance on the Women’s Reservation Bill. During the discussion in Parliament, AAP MPs will question the government on the nature of the bill and its implementation. The party will support the bill at the time of voting on it,” the Aam Aadmi Party said.

The Minister of Earth Sciences told reporters that the women’s reservation bill is under discussion “but some opposition parties, including Congress, want to derail it.”

SAD’s Harsimrat Kaur Badal mentions there has been barely a 9% increase in the span of 75 years. “Even the speed of a bullock cart is more. And we are talking about women’s representation to 50% of our population.”

She says the special session was called in a rush without notifying the agenda or purpose. “What was this shroud of secrecy for?” she asks, especially since the Bill is going to come in after the Census and the delimitation exercises. “There is no final date as to when women will get 33% in this house, so what was the urgency to bring in this session and to bring in this Bill?”

“When it was known that the Women’s Reservation Bill was being brought, the hopes were built up till there only to be dashed in 24 hours because in the details lies the devil...The details came out that the bill will come in after the census and delimitation take place…Why did you take 9.5 years to bring the bill” she asks.

Ms. Badal highlights India’s performance on gender equality indices and the rising crime against women. “A woman in Manipur was assaulted and the government did not speak up... A Harayana Minister is accused of sexual assault but still enjoys the status of a cabinet minister. Women sportspersons who have earned laurels for India are still waiting for justice... Is this Beti Bachao?”

“Budgetary allocation for science education and space education is being curtailed in India. How will development occur in future,” the MP asks.

He also says that theory of evolution has been deleted from NCERT textbooks. “Why is the government not interested in the promotion of science?”

The number of basic science fellowships in India came down from 4,134 in 2016 to 703 in 2021, Mr. Sivadasan says.

The MP also corners the BJP government on its proposed agenda of supporting women power. “Post-doctoral fellowships for women came down from 642 in 2016 to 434 in 2021,” he says.

“Embracing the scientist is easy, but giving money is difficult for the government,” he adds.

A.M. Ariff, on behalf of CPI (M) party, said the government is trying to project the Bill as something only the BJP government could achieve, but the credit should go to women organisations and leaders who approached the Supreme Court. He says the Bill’s introduction at the fag end of this session, with the provisional note that this is implementable in the near future, the government exposes its “pseudo-hearted” attempt. Moreover, the government ‘disregarded’ the rules of procedures by keeping members in the dark about the List of Business. Mr. Ariff also questions the timing of the Bill, adding that the BJP and the government have kept mum on the legislation even after coming to power for the second time in 2019. He says the contents of the Bill are an example of “degrading propaganda”. “We have seen how this government tries to gain cheap popularity by putting BJP’s flag’s colour and lotus symbol in the logo of G20, and portraying the success of Chandrayaan-3 as a political victory of BJP,” he says. He demands that the Statement of Objects and Reasons be stripped of political jargon and contain only facts, reasons and the history of legislation.

According to Mr. Reddy, huge volumes of data are generated during space missions like Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L 1. This subject is not recognised as an independent subject by both AICTE and UGC since it is a multidisciplinary subject, the MP notes.

Smriti Irani, Minister of Women and Child Development, begins her statement by expressing respect for the Bill, as an important component of Navbharat’s foundations, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She highlights that when PM Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2006, he created a gender equity policy and also introduced a gender budget through ten departments. She says that the 2013-2014 gender budget was 90 crores while it is 2,30,000 crores today.

If your interest is really to empower women politically, you will support this Bill she says. Touching upon the international rankings mentioned by various Opposition members, she says that women elected in Panchayats, Vidhan Sabhas, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are not counted, and that Narendra Modi has brought this issue up at the international stage. “We have made women count,” she says, adding that it is now up to the Opposition to step up.

When a clarification is sought about her claims, she says that the facts are already available and that is a pity that the facts were not known before.

YSRCP MP Vijaysai Reddy reminds Congress of the false cases filed on ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, without any proof. “Congress talks about professionalism. They harassed Nambi Narayanan and put him in jail for 50 days. They had no proof and did this for political vendetta. The Supreme Court had to intervene to award him damages,” says Mr. Reddy.

Taking a dig at ex-Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu, Mr. Reddy claims that the TDP chief had boasted of being the father of the computer, cellphone and space program in Andhra. His remarks were met with sloganeering and disruptions from the Opposition. Several MPs stormed into the Well of the House.

AITC MP Mahua Moitra calls it both an honour and shame to speak about the women’s reservation bill 75 years after Independence. She highlights that the number for male and female turnout were nearly the same in the last general elections - 66.7% and 66.8% respectively- but women’s candidature was at an abysmal 9%, she said, up from 7% in 2004.

The government introduced the Bill as a groundbreaking move, but what does the Bill say, she asks, highlighting that an article makes the reservations contingent on a delimitation exercise. She calls the Bill a women’s reservation rescheduling bill and says that it should be renamed as such.

When this government wanted to protect cows, you didn’t wait to count the number of cows, you started building cow shelters, she says. Are women any less, she asks. She says that it is a chance for the Prime Minister to prove that “Modi hain toh mumkin hain,” asking them to send 33% women members to the Parliament.

Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, says that it is necessary to include women in policy decisions. There are many women members here, they have struggled to come here, she says. I think this bill will not only support women empowerment, but also give a new opportunity for women, she says, thanking PM Modi for bringing this patriotic bill.

INC MP Ramya Haridas also highlights that there is no clarity about the implementation of the Bill. This will just become a wild goose chase before the elections, she says. If the government anticipates supporting women in India through this Bill, it should also solve other problems for Indian women, such as harassment and abuse, she says. She expresses support for the Bill, with required amendments.

BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, says that September 19, 2023, will be remembered for the first business in the first session in the new Parliament building being the issue of reservations for women in India.

The BJP supported the bill in Rajya Sabha in 2008 when it was in Opposition, he says. If the Congress was determined to give women reservations, it would have passed the bill. But fearing that their allies will withdraw support, only to preserve their power at the Centre, they did not pass the bill, he says.

Even now, bringing up issues about OBC reservations etc, they are still not in support of this bill, he says.

He points out that the Standing Committee in its recommendations about the women reservation bill in 2009 pointed out that there were no reservations for OBCs in the Parliament, so the question of reservation for women OBC members does not arise. He also brings up and criticises Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks about bringing in weaker women candidates made in the Parliament yesterday.

Hasnain Masoodi, J&KNC MP from Anantnag, outlines the measures taken in Jammu-Kashmir to advance the cause of women’s reservations.

If the government’s intention is to give representation to women, why are they deferring it, they should give the reservations from 2024, he says. If the idea is women empowerment, participation and representation, we are with it, but the way this is being framed, (we are not for it), he says.

If this is a component of gender justice, why are minorities and OBC persons being left out, he asks.

Union MoS Jitendra Singh extold benefits of the establishment of National Research Foundation, stating that Rs 36,000 crores funding for the organisation will be from non-governmental sources.

Pushing for privatisation in Space, he adds that India has earned over $200 million from foreign companies for launching over 389 satellites in the past 10 years. He also lists the records set in satellite launches in 2017, 2018; reminding which government was in power

Anupriya Singh Patel, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, rises to intervene in the debate. She highlights that women participation is very low in the Indian Parliament, with only 14% members in Rajya Sabha and 11% members in Lok Sabha being women. India ranks at 149 on this metric globally, she points out.

It is necessary to bring in women in decision-making and top positions, she says. Previous bills have not been successful, but we will be successful in seeing through this bill, she adds.

She says that women are a heteregenous group, with different family backgrounds, literacy rates, experiences etc. She expresses conifdence that the Modi government will bring in schemes for the benefit of the OBC community, and questions whether the Congress had thought of this in 2008, when it introduced the women reservation bill.

She says that the government will take into account the issues being raised and will handle issues pertaining to the census and delimitation exercise.

DMK MP Dr. T Sumathy Thangapandian questions why the Bill is in Hindi, and why the President Droupadi Murmu was not invited to the inaguration of the new Parliament building.

This Bill is “just to lure women voters,” she says. It should be implemented soon before the 2024 elections, she said, calling it “a small step for women, but a giant leap for womenkind.”

Union MoS Jitendra Singh continues his speech on Indian space programme as Rajya Sabha reconvenes

BJD MP Sarmistha Sethi says that the Bill has been brought forward only due to the good work of Naveen Patnaik. Naveen Patnaik brought in 33% reservations in Odisha she says. She highlights that the BJD is the first party to field one-third women candidates in the 2019 parliamentary elections.

Along with political empowerment, we must aim for economic and social empowerment, the member says. We appreciate the PM and government for bringing forth this bill, but we ask that these reservations be brought for the 2024 elections, without waiting for delimitation exercise to be completed., she urges.

Women empowerment is not a joke, she says, adding that implementation of this bill would right historical wrongs. She asks that OBC women also be included in the Bill.

Rising to support the Bill, SP MP Dimple Yadav asks that women belonging to backward, minority and SC/ST classes also be considered as part of the Bill.

Meanwhile BJP MP Jaskaur Meena expresses support for the Bill and says that if the law is brought in to comply with Constitution provisions, 181 women will be sitting in the House. This will encourage progress, strength and empowerment of the nation’s women.

NCP MP Supriya Sule rises to support the bill, but seeks some clarifications from the government.

She also highlights that, along with complimenting the governments which have brough this bill at various times, there is another issue in the newspapers- the Canadian issue. She requests that since this is a special session, they should also consider other important issues, such as the Canadian issue, the issue of Maratha, Lingayat, Dhangar and Muslim reservations in Maharashtra, inflation in onion prices and drought.

Moving to discuss the women’s reservation bill, she says that there are two wheels to a cycle, and men are equally important to the discussion; she highlights the contributions of the men who have influenced the lives of women- BR Ambedkar who gave the right to vote, Mahatma Phule who gave education, Rajiv Gandhi who brought forth the first women policy in Congress and Sharad Pawar who brought in 33% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj in Maharashtra- the first State to do so.

Responding to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, she says that not all sisters have the support of their brothers. She also seeks other clarifications; pointing out that the reservation is dependent on the delimination exercise, she asks how if the date of the next census is indeterminate and the date of the next delimitation is indeterminate, the reservation which is dependent on two indeterminiate dates will be implemented. How will we get reservations, there is no timeline, she questions.

She cites the words of Mahatma Gandhi to call the bill a post-dated cheque from a crashing bank. She concluded by expressing support for the Bill.

LJSP MP Veena Devi says that it is not for nothing that “Modi hain toh mumkin hain,” is said. She says that worshipping women is a part of Indian culture; where women are worshipped as goddesses that is where women are respected, she says. She expresses support for the bill.

BJP MP Sunita Duggal, says that this is a historic bill, and that Indian women were certain that if anyone will bring such a bill, it will be Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She says that a mother gives her flesh and blood equally to both daughter and sons, and that mother nature has not distinguished between man and woman. She expressed gratitude for the self-confidence instilled in her by her mother.

She highlights that we have had many brave women freedom fighters have sacrificed for the nation.

As the Chair asks that she wrap up her speech, she says she is the second speaker from her party, and that it was not done to stop her from speaking as a woman.

The member highlights that, under PM Modi, from Haryana the slogan “beti bachao, beti padhao” was given, and the country’s sex ratio was 918 in 2014, it has become 933 in 2022-23. In Haryana, it has risen from 871 to 923, she says. She credits the PM’s approach for the upliftment of women.

Amid the discussion on India’s space journey, Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2 PM.

Shiv Sena MP Bhawana Gawali says that the women reservation bill would not have been brought without Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that no one else has the courage to do so.

She highlights the contributions of Rani Laksmi Bai and Savitribai Phule, pointing out that they used to throw stones at Ms. Phule when she set out to educate girl students.

She says that many big parties believe that if their female family members enter the field, reservation is accomplished. But this is not enough, she says.

Union Space minister (MoS) Jitendra Singh counters Jairam Ramesh’s claims on Indian Space programme’s development.

“There must be a reason why we are meeting scientific success and not before. Previously, the gates of Sriharikota were closed to the public, terming it a military premise. In 2020, the gates were opened. In 2020, the media was allowed to see the launch of Chandrayaan-3 on site,” says Mr. Singh.

He added that the budget for science has been expanded three times since 2005.

BRS MP N Nageswara Rao highlights that this is the fifth time such a bill has come before the Parliament. He expresses that his party supports the Bill.

When Telangana was formed in 2014, within 12 days, there was a resolution sent to bring in 33% reservation to the Legislative Assembly. It has been almost 10 years, he says.

We demand that the reservation be implemented immediately, in the upcoming elections, or a timeline be provided as to when the delimitation exercise will be completed and reservations implemented, he says.

BSP MP Sangeeta Azad rises to express whole-hearted support for the women reservation bill. She says that Dr. Ambedkar gave respect to women in the constitution.

She says that the BSP supports the bill, but has some demands. She asks for 50% reservation for women at State and Centre. She also asks that OBC reservations be included along with reservations for women from SC/ST communities.

She asks that this women reservation bill not become merely an election issue for the government, and that these reservations should be brought in the 2024 elections.

AAP MP Sandeep Kumar Pathak rebukes the Centre for not mentioning Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru while talking about Indian Space programme in Rajya Sabha

“After Independence when there were famines, Pt. Nehru still had the vision to invest in science. The reason why India is at such a stature and Pakistan is in such a poor condition it is because Pt. Nehru was India’s first Prime Minister and Mr. Jinnah was Pakistan’s,” says Mr. Pathak. He adds that developed nations do not politics on issues affecting the nation.

“Why is budget for science being reduced? To disburse money when the budget is surplus is easy, but to maintain funding when finances are tight shows leadership,” says Mr. Pathak. He also urges to improve work culture in govt institutions.

JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh rises to express his party’s support for the women reservation bill. But he says the objective of the government in bringing this Bill is not to give reservation to women, it is a panic reaction to INDIA. It is a ploy for the 2024 elections, he says.

In 2014, they influenced that nation’s poor with promises of getting rid of black money and getting 15-20 lakhs in every one’s bank accounts, and this time they wish to trouble the women of this nation.

If they had the intention, they would have started the caste census in 2021. he says. You do not believe in doing justice to the poor and backward classes, that is why you didn’t conduct the census. If you had conducted it, there would be no need for this Bill right now, he says, calling it all an election ploy. But the women, the nation’s people know better and do not trust your ploys, he adds.

Learn from Bihar, he says, pointing out that it gave 50% reservation to women in 2006. In 2016, it gave 35% reservation to women in State services. They took a year, not four and half years like this government, he says.

This government does not care about women empowerment, it cares about saving its seat and will make any false promises for this, he adds.

TMC MP Jawahar Sircar says that one cannot claim entire credit for India’s space programme as it started with its establishment by Pt. Jawharlal Nehru. Rebuking the Modi govt ministers for lack of scientific temper, he lists several controversial statements about vedic age scientific knowledge.

“Superstition cannot go hand in hand with science. Take pride in history but not at the cost of scientific temper. If you want more Chandrayaan, Adityas; free science from bureaucracy. Change the rules to promote science,” says Mr. Sircar. He laments the cut in ISRO’s budget by the Centre.

YSRCP MP Geetha Vishwanath Vanga, rises to support the bill, and expresses gratitude for the opportunity to speak in Telugu in the new Parliament building.

She says that the census and delimitation should conducted on a war footing, highlighting that women are now at 50% of the nation. She expressed the wish that the Bill will be passed before 2024.

Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijuju rises to issue a clarification that the women scientists of ISRO are being paid well, and that AITC MP Kakori Dastidaar has mistated the facts. Even retired scientists are receiving their dues, he says, noting that women scientists were specifically grateful to Mr. Modi for the improvements he has brought about.

AITC MP Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidaar rises to speak, saying that she rises to support a bill that has already been implemented in her State of West Bengal. She highlights that hers is the only State with a women Chief Minister, although BJP is in power in 16 States. She says that CM Mamata Banerjee has taken several measures to help the progress of women in the State, and that Trinamool Congress now has more than 40% women MPs.

She questions the fact that the Bill was brought now, if this is “like a gimmick, is it like pulling a rabbit from their hat?”

She calls the linking of the reservations of women to the delimitation exercise “sinister” and says that this will increase the representation from States which have failed at population control and women empowerment.

She questions why women are not being respected, citing the example of the women wrestlers who have alleged sexual harassment. She also notes that women labourers are not receiving their due. Further, even after Chandrayaan, women scientists and researchers are not being paid, she says.

She also asks for budgetary allocation for reproductive healthcare, saying that this should first be passed before this bill is brought. She says it should have been brought in 2014, not now before the election.

She challenges the Centre to have 40% reservation as Trinamool Congress does.

DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi rises to speak, she is subjected to chants from the Treasury benches. She, and other Opposition MPs, protest against what they term “heckling,” saying that the BJP MPs do not have respect for women.

She says that this is one the few bills that they agree on and that they thought that the women’s reservation bill will be passed “with all of us supporting each other and standing together.”

But the BJP has also taken this as an opportunity for politicking, she says. She quotes Periyar, saying that she is reminded of it while listening to the BJP- “The pretence of men that they respect women and that they strive for their freedom is only a ruse to deceive them.”

She also quotes former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet saying that “a better democracy is a democracy where women do not only have the right to vote and to elect, but to be elected. “

She highlights that she spoke about the women’s reservation bill when it was brought by the UPA government in 2010, as a member of the Rajya Sabha, and now 13 years later, is speaking about the same issue in the Lok Sabha.

She highlights that multiple chief ministers and members of parliament wrote to the Prime Minister to pass this bill. The MP asks if there were any consultations with stakeholder before the bill was brought.

She also questions why the bill was shrouded in secrecy, as the special session was announced sans agenda, no consultations or meetings with ministers were held. The bill just popped up on “our screens like a Jack in the Box,” she says, asking if this is the way the Government will run things.

She says that the Constitution specifies that the reservation will be brought after the delimitation exercise. The member notes that India has not conducted a decadal census, and says that if the delimitation is based on population alone, it will be unjust.

She says that this move is to not just for reservation but for righting injustice, and that for this the words “delimitation” should be removed from this clause.

She asks why if a women is strong and brave, she is considered a devil, questioning why Kali is used as an insult. She highlights that there were strong women leaders in history, including Indira Gandhi, Jayalalithaa and Sushma Swaraj in her list.

The Bill says “vandana”, meaning salute- we don’t want to be saluted, she says. We want to be treated as equals. Let us get down from the pedestal, she concludes her speech.

“When Mr. Dhawan was leading ISRO, the SLV failed in its first attempt. Seeing Dr. Kalam in tears e told him that you sit back and I will take responsibility for this failure. In 1982, when the SLV successfully launched a satellite, he told Dr. Kalam to take credit. This is Leadership; not taking credit only for the successes. Leadership is to stand when things fail and to take a backseat when it succeed, “ says Mr. Ramesh in the Rajya Sabha.

He further urges the Modi government to keep India’s space program focused on development and not make it a point of muscular nationalism. He also condemns the loss of scientific temper, rebuking the Centre for removing Darwin’s theory of evolution from textbooks.

RS Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar is overseeing the proceedings

Congress veteran Jairam Ramesh rebukes Mr. Goyal for not even mentioning Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru while talking on Indian Space journey.

“Listening to The Leader of House it seems like India’s space journey commenced only in 2014. There is not even a mention of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai or Dr. Satish Dhawan,” says Mr. Ramesh. He further lists the contributions of ex-PMs Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey rises to speak in support of the Bill. The Opposition protests that the first speaker for the Centre is a man.

Home Minister Amit Shah questions whether only women should speak about the issue of women’s reservation. Mr. Dubey says that the Opposition is upset that the Centre has brought this bill. He says his mother, who is in the hospital, asked him to speak about the bill today.

He questions why Ms. Gandhi did not mention Geeta Mukherjee and Sushma Swaraj and accused her of engaging in politics. He says that the bill brought by the Congress earlier was the wrong bill, and that whoever “hits the goal gets the credit.”

He says that the schemes brought by the earlier governments have only hindered women, alleging that more women are in jail owing to Section 498 of the Indian Penal Code (which deals with dowry deaths) than men.

Lauding the success of the soft-landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal says, “When Chandrayaan-2 crashed on the moon, many had written off India’s space programme. This success has proved all naysayers wrong”. He also highlighted how economic the entire mission was compared to other nation’s costly space missions.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh is presiding over the session

Congress MP Sonia Gandhi rises to speak about the Constitution (128th) Amendment Bill. She highlights that Indian women have had a long journey through various stages of life, and that their sacrifice should be acknowledged.

She notes that several noted figures throughout history, such as Sarojini Naidu and Sucheta Kripalani have strived to bring the India imagined by the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar to reality.

The Congress supports the bill, she says, but also asks that the caste census be undertaken and provisions be made for women from backward classes.

The Upper House is first discussing the successful soft-landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the south pole of the moon.

In legislative business, the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023 and The Post Office Bill, 2023 are up for consideration.

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moves that the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill 2023 be taken up for consideration. The Bill proposes reservation of 33% seats for women in State Assemblies, Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Further, it proposes that of these seats, a third be reserved for women from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

He introduced the Bill, saying that while previous governments have made schemes for socio-economic welfare, progress on this front has accelerated after Narendra Modi was elected as Prime Minister.

After giving an overview of the Bill’s provisions, Mr. Meghwal outlines that bills proposing a similar reservation were brought in various administrations. Touching on the last instance in 2010, he says that while it was passed in the Rajya Sabha, it was pending for a long time and lapsed at the end of the Lok Sabha term in 2014.

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar kicks off the discussion on India’s space journey in the Rajya Sabha, emphasizing Chandrayaan-3’s succesful soft-landing on the south pole of the moon

Speaker Om Birla indicates that the new Parliament building has new technology, and said that information on the same was given at 10 am today, and will be given tomorrow.

A member requests that circulation of papers still be used till they are accustomed to the technology, Mr. Birla accedes.

With Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar in the Chair, the Upper House begins proceedings for the day at 11 AM.

Papers are being laid on the table of the Rajya Sabha

Speaker of the House Om Birla presides as Lok Sabha proceedings kick off in the new Parliament building at 11 a.m.

Papers are laid on the table of the House.

Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge has called a meeting of the INDIA alliance at 10 a.m. today to discuss the women’s reservation Bill. -PTI

1. Papers will be laid on the table.

2. Reports of Public Accounts Committee.

3. Reports of Standing Committee on Labour, Textile and Skill Development.

4. The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, The Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023, will be taken up for consideration and passing.

The Women’s Reservation Bill has put the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc in a spot, with almost all member parties expected to come out in support of the legislation, although they are trying to discount the political capital that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP hope to earn from it by pointing out the rider in the Bill, which says that its implementation depends on the delimitation exercise scheduled for 2026.

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