SHILLONG, SEP 29: AICC spokesperson Onika Mehrotra on Friday questioned the failure of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government to implement the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Addressing the media, Mehrotra said, “Why did the Modi government not implement the Women’s Reservation Bill for 9.5 years despite the BJP having full majority?”
Stating that the exercise was just an eyewash, she said, “How will they go forward when the Bill has not been implemented. Has the delimitation been done? Which seats will they contest? This is nothing but a farce, they are trying to show that the Bill has passed and the BJP has done it.”
“This unwarranted delay by the BJP goes to say that they are not serious about this issue, the women of this country are not fools, and they understand the logic in the purpose behind it,” Mehrotra said while demanding the Centre to immediately implement the women’s reservation Bill.
She claimed that the Congress implemented reservation for women in local bodies without having a majority. “We passed the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha without having a majority.”
The AICC leader also questioned why is the government imposing conditions on Census and Delimitation as a delaying tactic?
She said it was the Congress-led UPA government that first conducted a Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) in 2011-12. The Modi government has refused to release these results even 9.5 years after it was conducted. In addition, the Modi government has blocked caste surveys carried out by states like Bihar.
She said during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi met OBC groups in different states who demanded a caste census and he supported their demand.
In the 85th Plenary Raipur Resolution, Indian National Congress committed to conducting a SECC alongwith the decennial census. The caste census shall also enumerate denotified tribes and nomadic tribes.
On April 16, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to PM Modi demanding an up-to-date caste census. However, PM Modi has not replied.
“The Congress has promised to conduct a caste census in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh. Meanwhile, Bihar has informed the apex court of their completion of caste census.The ‘Samuhik Sankalp’ of 26 parties of the I.N.D.I.A alliance demanded a fair hearing for all socially, educationally and economically backward communities by implementing caste based census as a first step,” she said.