PM Modi calls Women’s Quota Bill ‘21st century crucial decision’, Sonia Gandhi flags it as 'threat to Constitution

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India is going to make one of the landmark decisions of the 21st century after proposing the Women's Reservation Bill, which provides one-third seats for women in legislative bodies. He added that it marks a historic step dedicated to "Nari Shakti," while addressing the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Sammelan' at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

"Amidst these crucial milestones in the country's journey of development, India is about to take one of the biggest decisions of the 21st century. I am saying with great responsibility that this is one of the important decisions among the important decisions of the 21st century. This decision is dedicated to Nari Shakti. Dedicated to Nari Shakti Vandan," PM Modi said while addressing the gathering.

Narendra Modi described the move as a milestone that would transform long-held aspirations into reality and embed social justice at the heart of governance and policymaking.

"This decision is dedicated to women's power. It is dedicated to the veneration of women's power. Our country's Parliament is close to creating a new history. A new history that will realise the concepts of the past. One that will fulfil the resolutions of the future. A resolution for an India that is egalitarian, where social justice is not just a slogan, but a natural part of our work culture, our decision-making process. The time has come to end decades of waiting, from the state assemblies to the country's Parliament; it is 16th, 17th and 18th April," he also said.

"Our country's Parliament is close to creating a new history. A new history that will realise the visions of the past, that will fulfil the resolutions of the future. A resolve for an India that is egalitarian, where social justice is not merely a slogan, but a natural part of our work culture, our decision-making process," PM Modi added.

He further noted that India is on the verge of making one of the most crucial decisions of the 21st century, calling it a landmark step aimed at empowering women and fulfilling a long-pending demand that has received support from political parties over the years.

Sonia Gandhi on the women's reservation bill

Meanwhile, Sonia Gandhi said the real concern behind the Centre’s special Parliament session is delimitation rather than women’s reservation. Writing in an op-ed for The Hindu, she warned that the government’s reported delimitation plan could be highly risky and amount to a threat to the Constitution.

The Senior Congress leader also said that the Prime Minister is seeking the Opposition to support Bills in order to "bulldoze in a special session of Parliament when the election campaign in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal will be at its peak". "There can be only one reason for the extraordinary hurry, which is to derive political advantage and place the Opposition on the defensive. The Prime Minister is, as usual, being economical with the truth," she wrote.

Sonia Gandhi alleged that the Centre had linked the Women's Reservation Bill with the next Census. "The Opposition had not asked for this condition. In fact, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, had forcefully demanded that the reservation provision be implemented from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections itself. For reasons best known to itself, the government did not agree," she wrote.