All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa has called upon all political parties to look beyond narrow divides and ensure that the Women's Reservation Bill becomes a law without further hiccups or delays.
In a statement here on Friday, Ms. Jayalalithaa described the passage of the Bill in the Rajya Sabha as a “small but historic step,” in the tumultuous journey of the Bill.
Congratulating both ruling and Opposition parties for voting in favour of the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Ms. Jayalalithaa said women, forming almost half of the country's population, had been subjected to discrimination in “a male-dominated society.”
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They had been systematically deprived of education and kept away from a socio-political role solely because of the shackles imposed on them by a “male-dominated society.”
Reservation for women would be a small step in setting right the anomaly and ensuring gender parity.
Before the Bill becomes a law, it has to be passed by the Lok Sabha and ratified by at least 14 of the State Assemblies.
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When it becomes law, the country would need women of calibre to take up positions in the State legislature and Parliament.
Her party would take necessary steps towards grooming and developing women of substance for a positive political role in the future, she said.