BRS leader Ravula Sridhar Reddy welcomed the Women’s Reservation Bill but urged the Centre to consult all stakeholders for fair implementation. He warned against a population-based Lok Sabha delimitation, calling for a national consensus.
‘Build National Consensus’: BRS on Women’s Reservation Bill
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Ravula Sridhar Reddy on Monday said that the Centre must look into all the aspects and suggestions that come from various stakeholders before the implementation of the Women Reservation Bill to ensure fairness in all the States. Speaking to ANI, he welcomed the Bill, saying that if the seats are proportionally distributed, the implementation of the Bill will not create any problems.
“The Centre’s proposal to increase the seats by 50 per cent in all the States, I don’t think there is anything wrong with it. If the seats are increased proportionally in all the States, I don’t see any greater harm happening. However, since the decision is in the early stage, the Centre definitely has to look into all the aspects and suggestions that come from various stakeholders, build a national consensus and do it. But, there is already a delay in the implementation, and delimitation is long overdue. I think the Central government and the cabinet will take the decision to implement the Bill as soon as possible,” he said.
Concerns Over Delimitation Process
He said that it is clear to every citizen that women’s reservations (which everybody supports), and delimitation of Lok Sabha seats (on which there are many concerns), are different. For example, if the women’s quota is implemented immediately for state-wise Assembly seats, the entire country will welcome it. Furthermore, he said that the BJP might not get a lot of benefits in the long run by attempting to push a population-based national delimitation of the Lok Sabha. However, if it is unjust to the Southern and smaller states, it will weaken our country in the long run. National interest must be above any party interest.
In the larger and long-term view, consider models other than simple pro-rata for Lok Sabha delimitation, he said. He underlined that a national consensus must be built, starting with an all-party view, instead of pushing this significant policy in an unfair way.
Special Parliament Session Convened
Meanwhile, the Parliament is set to meet from April 16 to 18 in a special sitting of the budget session to discuss amendments to Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 and a proposed Delimitation Bill to implement the one-third reservation for women legislators. (ANI)
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