Sonia Gandhi Demands OBC Sub-Quota In Women's Reservation Bill

Sonia Gandhi , Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party , expressed her party's endorsement of the Women's Reservation Bill while emphasising the need for reservation within the 33% quota for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes.

Inadequate Provisions for Other Backward Classes
While the bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha , includes a sub-quota for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes within the already reserved seats, it lacks a similar provision for the Other Backward Classes.

Demand for a Caste Census
The former Congress Chief took the floor as the first speaker in the Lok Sabha during the bill's debate, where she also called for an immediate caste census.

Impediments to Implementation
The effective implementation of the reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies hinges on the completion of a Census and delimitation exercise, which involves redrawing constituency boundaries. Notably, the decennial census has been indefinitely delayed since 2021.

Urgent Call for Bill Implementation
During her address, Gandhi urged for the swift implementation of the bill, emphasising that any delay would constitute a grave injustice to Indian women. She emphasised, “Indian women have been waiting for their political responsibilities for the last 13 years. Now they are being asked to wait for a few more years. How many years?”