AAP's Sanjay Singh: This is "Mahila Bewakoof Banao" Bill

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday, 20 September, dubbed the Women's Reservation Bill tabled by the government in the Lok Sabha as 'Mahila Bewakoof Banao' Bill and said this was another 'jumla' brought by the BJP.

Speaking to the media, ahead of the third day of Parliament's special session, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, "This is definitely not a Women's Reservation Bill, this is 'Mahila Bewakoof Banao' Bill."

He said, "We have been saying this because none of the promises made by them have been fulfilled ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power. 

"This is another 'jumla' brought by them...If you want to implement the Bill, AAP stands with you completely but implement it in 2024. Do you think the women of the country are fools?" Singh said.

"Anti-women BJP has brought one more 'jumla' in the name of the Bill. Women of the country, political parties understand these election tactics. So, we say that if their intentions are clear, implement it in 2024," the AAP leader said.

His remarks came a day after the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, was introduced in the Lok Sabha in the supplementary list of business.

The Women's Reservation Bill has proposed that the reservation would continue for a period of 15 years and there will be a quota for SC and STs within the reserved seats for women. The legislation, however, is unlikely to be implemented in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, sources said.

It will be rolled out only after the delimitation process is over, most probably in 2029, they added.

The reservation will come into effect after a delimitation exercise is undertaken and will continue for 15 years. Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation exercise, according to the bill.

The government said women participate substantively in panchayats and municipal bodies, but their representation in Assemblies and Parliament is still limited.

Women bring different perspectives and enrich the quality of legislative debates and decision-making, it added.

The Congress has dubbed the Bill as a "poll jumla" and also a betrayal with women and girls of the country.