Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Shiv Sena (UBT) has harshly criticised the BJP-led government for not quickly putting the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam into effect. She said that the government was “dropping the pretence” on women’s empowerment and that the reform was taking too long.
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What the Law Says
The Women’s Reservation Act, which passed in 2023 with a lot of political support, guarantees that 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will be reserved for women. But the law can’t be put into effect until the next census and a delimitation exercise are done, which means it won’t happen until at least 2029.
The Main Point of Chaturvedi
Chaturvedi pointed out that women only hold about 15% of parliamentary seats right now, even though they make up almost half of the population. She said that putting off the law would defeat its purpose and could make it nothing more than a symbolic gesture instead of a real reform. She says that connecting it to future administrative processes makes people question the intent.
Directly Criticising the BJP
She focused on the Bharatiya Janata Party and said that the party promised to reserve seats for women in its 2014 manifesto, but didn’t pass the bill until almost nine years later. She said that even after that, the law’s conditions have made it less effective.
Demand for Immediate Action
Chaturvedi has called for the Act to be put into effect right away, without waiting for the census and delimitation, saying that it is a matter of democratic fairness. She said that women need to be represented right away and have a bigger say in how things are run.
A Bigger Political Question
Priyanka Chaturvedi: Her comments have sparked a new debate about whether India is ready to go beyond symbolic promises and make sure that women really share power in legislative bodies.
