In a public address on Monday at Barpeta, Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has attempted to assuage fears pertaining to the impending special session of parliament to enact the Women’s Reservation Bill. He has assured that the move will not be detrimental to the representation of any particular state, especially those in the North East and South India, which have been more successful with their population control policies.
The Prime Minister emphasised that the legislation is designed to benefit the entire country without leaving any region at a disadvantage. He urged political leaders from across the spectrum to set aside their differences and support the law. Confirmed to begin on April 16, the special session follows discussions with various parties. PM Modi noted that while the government has called for a unanimous effort to advance the rights of women, some quarters were attempting to spread confusion regarding the noble intent of the bill.
He clarified that the representation of states with lower population growth would remain intact. "This will be beneficial for all the states in the country, but none will be adversely affected by this decision," he said, adding that the government was working on allocating extra seats for women instead of decreasing the number of existing reservations. He directly appealed to the women of Assam to influence their political leaders in passing the bill.
Turning his attention to the local landscape, the Prime Minister highlighted the hard-won peace and stability currently enjoyed in Assam. He accused the opposition of historically undermining the armed forces — citing their reactions to air and surgical strikes — and claimed they had betrayed soldiers over the 'One Rank One Pension' issue.
PM Modi also drew comparisons regarding the welfare of the farming community. He pointed out that under the Congress administration in 2013, the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy stood at ₹1,300 per quintal, whereas it has now risen to ₹2,370 under the Bharatiya Janata Party. He further claimed that total MSP payments to farmers have increased fourfold since 2014, reaching ₹16 lakh crore.
The Women’s Reservation Bill has been enacted in the year 2023, with the 2011 census being the basis for delimitation initially. The government is in the process of amending the delimitation bill in line with this new development. Seeing that the law needs a two-thirds majority to be enacted, it is the current task of the government to seek consensus on the issue.
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