The Assam Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed a government resolution appealing for immediate one-third reservation for women in the Parliament and state assemblies, to be implemented after the completion of delimitation.
Chief Minister's Remarks
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma criticized the Congress party, alleging that it failed to bring such a bill when it had a majority in the past due to pressure from allies like the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which he claimed have anti-women policies. He further alleged that Congress maintained an obstructive stance even during the BJP's tenure.
Congress Walkout
When the Chief Minister began speaking on the resolution, Congress MLAs staged a brief walkout. However, the walkout was in protest against remarks made by BJP MLA Bhuban Pegu targeting opposition members. The resolution was later passed by voice vote after the opposition MLAs returned to the House.
Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statements, Sarma noted that while the BJP and its allies supported the bill, Congress could have secured a two-thirds majority to pass it in 1996, 1998, or 2010 if it had wished. He argued that if the bill had been passed in April, it would benefit Assam by increasing the number of assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies in a smaller state.
Sarma stated that the idea was to increase seats through delimitation so that women's reservation does not disrupt the current structure, where constituencies have representation from communities like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The Chief Minister alleged that Congress MLAs did not walk out to oppose a gesture by BJP MLA Bhuban Pegu but due to their anti-women mindset. He claimed they had instructions from Delhi to stay away from the assembly when the resolution was passed.
