Women’s reservation bill incomplete without OBC quota: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi speaks in the Lok Sabha during the special session of the Parliament on Wednesday, in New Delhi.(Photo/ PTI)

New Delhi, Sep 20 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said in Lok Sabha that he supports the women’s reservation bill but lamented that the measure was “incomplete” as it lacks quota for other backward classes.

Participating in the debate in Lok Sabha on the women’s reservation bill, he also said the President should have been invited when the transfer of proceedings took place from the old to the new Parliament building.

He also pushed for a caste census. The MP from Wayanad said a huge step in the transfer of power to women was Panchayati Raj and the present bill was another big step.

The Women’s Reservation Bill guarantees a 33 per cent reservation of seats for women in Lok Sabha. This also includes those women who belong to the SC and ST categories. The bill was introduced as the 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill by the Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

The bill extends its provisions to the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. This bill is specific to the provisions for women in the Lok Sabha. State Assemblies and the Delhi Assembly will come into effect after a delimitation exercise is conducted.