Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the women’s reservation law should be implemented in 2029, attempting to set the agenda for the next parliamentary elections.
“Parliament has cleared Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam after a wait of four decades. It mandates 33 per cent reservation for women in Assemblies and Parliament. All political parties supported this important law. We shouldn’t delay giving this right to women,” Modi said at a public meeting in Dehradun.
The Opposition parties have accused the Modi government of delaying the
implementation of the 2023 Act until a politically opportune moment.
Modi is serving as the Prime Minister for the third consecutive term. BJP sources claim that the party would contest the 2029 polls under his leadership, but the focus would shift from religion to women.
The Opposition alleged that women’s empowerment was a new gimmick that the BJP was deploying to influence voters in Bengal, Tamil Nadu and other election-bound states.
“There will be Lok Sabha elections in 2029. Many Assembly elections will also be held thereafter. We must implement it (women’s reservation law) from 2029,” Modi said at the rally.
The Prime Minister was in the Uttarakhand capital to inaugurate the 212km Dehradun-New Delhi Expressway built at a cost of ₹12,000 crore. It has a 12km elevated road that passes through Rajaji National Park.
Modi said he wanted to see “daughters, sisters and mothers” play a big role in the country’s development. “Their security and participation in democracy are the government’s priority…. You can see that the world is facing a huge crisis (the war in West Asia). Its ripple effect can be felt even in developed countries. But our government is trying to ensure that our sisters face minimum problems,” he said.
Braiding religion with women power, the Prime Minister said: “The Kumbh and the Raj Jat Yatra will be held in Haridwar next year. It (Raj Jat Yatra) is not only a festival of faith but also a lively example of our cultural awakening. People treat Mother Nanda as their daughter and bid her farewell. The participation of sisters and daughters makes this journey special. Keeping this in view, a special debate (on women’s reservation) will start in Parliament from April 16.”
Referring to an open letter that he had written to the women of the country on the reservation issue, Modi said: “I humbly invited the mothers and sisters to participate in this work. I believe the mothers and sisters of the country will read my letter,” he said.
Modi also worshipped at the 19th-century Daat Kali temple on the outskirts of Dehradun and took out a
12km roadshow before addressing a gathering at Garhi Cantonment.
Several government school teachers accompanied students to see Modi’s roadshow.
“We came here at 7am and saw Modi in a car at 11.30am,” a 12-year-old student told
reporters.
A government school teacher, who had brought along 20 students, said: “It was sort of an education trip for the students.”