India: Women's Reservation Bill clears Cabinet meet after Modi teases 'historic decisions', says report

The Indian Union Cabinet has approved a bill proposing the reservation of 33 per cent of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, reports suggest.However, the Indian government has not made an official announcement regarding this decision. This comes as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier teased that "historic decisions" will be takenduring the Special Session of the Indian Parliament, the second day of which will be conducted in the new building.

The government on Monday (September 18) refrained from the customary post-Cabinet meeting briefing. Now, after this big development, anticipation is mounting as to what lies ahead in the Special Session.

The Women's Reservation Bill was introduced for the first time in the parliament on September 12, 1996. The focal point of the deliberation was the introduction of a constitutional amendment bill with the aim of reserving one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women.

Now, after about 27 years, since its initial introduction to parliament, the Women's Reservation Bill has been approved by the Cabinet and will be tabled in Parliament. Different versions of the bill were also introduced in 1998, 1999, and 2008.

A number of crucial discussions were held preceding the Cabinet meeting. It included meetings between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, and Home Minister Amit Shah, along with the presence of BJP chief JP Nadda.

Amid speculation over the outcomeof the Cabinet meeting, Indian media outlet NDTV, citing sources, reported on the approval of the bill.Indian Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, in a now-deleted post on X, said,"Only the Modi government had the moral courage to fulfil the demand for women's reservation. Which was proved by the approval of the cabinet. Congratulations PM Narendra Modi and congratulations to the PM Modi government."

Congress leader and former Finance Minister, PChidambaram touted the potential introduction of the bill as a win for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

In a post on X, PChidambaram wrote, "If the government introduces the Women's Reservation Bill tomorrow, it will be a victory for the Congress and its allies in the UPA government. Remember, it was during the UPA government that the Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on 9-3-2010. In its 10th year, the BJP is resurrecting the Bill that it had buried in the hope that the clamour for the Bill will die."

He added, "On the contrary, at every opportunity -- most recently at the CWC at Hyderabad -- the Congress has vociferously pleaded for the Bill to be passed in Parliament. Let's hope that the Bill will be introduced and passed in the ongoing Session."

Prior to the Cabinet meeting, speculations were rife about decisions on reservationsfor women or Other Backward Classes. Other potential proposalswhich were keenly looked into by political pundits were regarding "One Nation One Election" and even a change of the country's name from India to Bharat.

All-party calls for Women's Reservation Bill

Leading up to the parliament's five-day session which commenced Monday, both ruling and opposition parties voiced strong support for the women's reservation bill.

During an all-party meeting convened by the government on the eve of the session, many leaders called on the urgency of tabling the long-pending bill and expressed hope for its consensus passage. The bill, at the heart of these discussions, is aimed at reserving one-third of all seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women.

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