'Last hurrah' on women's quota

BY Editorial24 Sep 2017 3:59 PM GMT

At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was contemplating to bring in the Women's Reservation Bill in the coming session of Parliament to send a strong message to women voters before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Congress President Sonia Gandhi virtually grabbed the opportunity to steal the limelight from Modi by being the first to send a written request the Prime Minister to pass the Bill in the Lok Sabha. The government was planning to use this Bill as a tool to divert the attention of the Opposition and public over price rise, rising unemployment, demonetisation, and the impact of Goods and Services Tax (GST) – for which they have been accusing the BJP-led NDA government. In making the point that Narendra Modi commands a thumping majority in the House, the Congress president admits her failure to persuade the allies of the UPA to push through what she tries to project as her preferred legislative initiative. Gandhi's writing to the Prime Minister would not have given rise to lowly uncertainties had the Congress party not thought to project it as some kind of political gain.

In making the point that Narendra Modi commands a thumping majority in the House, the Congress president admits her failure to persuade the allies of the UPA to push through what she tries to project as her preferred legislative initiative. Gandhi's writing to the Prime Minister would not have given rise to lowly uncertainties had the Congress party not thought to project it as some kind of political gain.

The grand old party, struggling to put any 'effective' opposition to Modi's BJP, appears in dire need of some 'miracle' around which it can rally voters in 2019. But, what would happen to prospects of the Congress, if with an overwhelming majority in the Lower House, the Prime Minister gets this Bill passed? It is something of a gamble that the Congress president appears taking at the end of her tether. Though her sycophants blow her letter as a big game-changer, but will the people forget that it was the Congress – who remained tight-lipped in giving the women their right of adequate representation. The legislation had been blocked by those very parties like Trinamool, with whom now she contemplates to forge an anti-BJP front. However, one should also remember that despite the BJP supported this Bill in Rajya Sabha, how vehemently its leader Yogi Adityanath opposed it. The Congress President probably aims to cause the NDA the same embarrassment the UPA had suffered. Only time can tell that raising the issue of this ill-fated Women Reservation Bill at this moment, when the government is having

The legislation had been blocked by those very parties like Trinamool, with whom now she contemplates to forge an anti-BJP front. However, one should also remember that despite the BJP supported this Bill in Rajya Sabha, how vehemently its leader Yogi Adityanath opposed it. The Congress President probably aims to cause the NDA the same embarrassment the UPA had suffered. Only time can tell that raising the issue of this ill-fated Women Reservation Bill at this moment, when the government is having tough time to defend its recent decisions on GST and demonetisation, would be proved the 'last hurrah' for the Congress President or not. But where the Congress move could backfire is that if the government succeeds in passing this Bill in the Lok Sabha will endorse it, the Modi-Shah duo would script another success story where Sonia-Manmohan had faced the music.

'Last hurrah' on women's quota

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