AAP leader Atishi dubs Bill as ‘Mahila Bewakoof Banao’ Bill

New Delhi: AAP leader Atishi launched a fierce critique of the BJP-led Central government, alleging that the recently introduced Women’s Reservation Bill is a political manoeuvre aimed at deceiving women voters ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Atishi labelled the Bill as the “Mahila Bewakoof Banao” Bill and criticised its provisions.

The minister highlighted a key provision in the bill that states, “The provisions of the Constitution relating to the reservation of seats for women, shall come into effect after an exercise of delimitation is undertaken for this purpose after the relevant figures for the first census taken after the Constitutional Amendment Act 2023 have been published.”

This provision implies that women will not receive reservations in the 2024 elections, and the Bill’s implementation will be delayed until 2027-28.

She questioned Modi’s intentions, stating, “Why can’t PM Modi provide reservations to women in the 2024 elections without waiting for the census and delimitation? If he truly cares about women, why doesn’t he implement the Bill on the existing 543 seats in the Lok Sabha?”

Atishi firmly declared AAP’s stance, stating, “AAP supports the Women Reservation Bill, and we demand that reservations for women should begin from the 2024 elections.”

Additionally, AAP MP Sushil Gupta also expressed frustration over the Bill’s delay, saying, “For a decade, this Bill was pending after being passed by the Rajya Sabha. It should have been passed almost ten years ago when the Modi government came into power.”

In response to Atishi’s statements, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor accused the AAP of attempting to obstruct the Bill’s passage, saying, “Leaders like Atishi have scuttled the passing of the Women Reservation Bill on plea or another for the last 25 years. Today when they know that they would not be able to stop Prime Minister Modi from getting the Bill passed, they are now trying to raise a bogey over the date of implementation of reservation.” Kapoor also pointed out that the Bill has faced opposition from various leaders in the past, including Lalu Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Brinda Karat.

The Women Reservation Bill, recently approved by the Union Cabinet, aims to provide one-third of the reservation for women in both the Parliament and state legislative assemblies.

While AAP welcomed the bill, Atishi emphasised the need for immediate implementation rather than waiting for census and delimitation.

Atishi concluded her statements by saying, “When we examine the provisions of this bill, it becomes clear that it is an attempt to deceive the women of the country and befool them ahead of the 2024 elections.”