The Women’s Reservation Bill, recently introduced in the Parliament, has sparked a series of critical remarks from Samajwadi Party leaders Akhilesh and Dimple Yadav, despite the party showcasing a supportive stance on the matter.
Akhilesh Yadav, the president of the Samajwadi Party, has labelled the bill as “half-baked” and accused the BJP government of initiating its term with a “great lie.” In a post on social media, Yadav argued that the implementation of the bill is impractical without a prior census and delimitation, a process that would take several years. He emphasised that the BJP government neither supports a general census nor a caste-based census, both of which are crucial for the feasible execution of women’s reservation. Calling the bill a mockery of the serious issue of women’s reservation, he asserted that women would express their disagreement through their votes against the BJP in the upcoming elections.
Despite this critical stance, the Samajwadi Party has not withdrawn its support for the bill in the Parliament. Samajwadi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP, Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav, has emphasised the party’s backing for the bill, asserting that half of the country’s population should receive their rightful representation. He further vowed to continue fighting for the rightful share of representation for OBC women.
Dimple Yadav, a member of the Samajwadi Party representing the party in the Lok Sabha, upheld the party’s endorsement for the bill but posed several pertinent questions during the debate session. She advocated for the inclusion of reservation for SC, ST, OBC, and minority women within the framework of the Women’s Reservation Bill. Dimple Yadav challenged the government’s intention behind suddenly remembering the bill after nine years and questioned if a caste-based census would be conducted. She also inquired why the bill neglects the reservation for women from backward communities.
During her speech, she questioned BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, pointing out the discrepancy in the government’s concern for rural women and the neglect of women from the backward communities in the bill. She urged for their inclusion in the reservation quota. Dimple further objected to the mention of the late leader Mulayam Singh Yadav by Dubey in the discussion, advising against bringing up individuals who are no longer present in the house in future discussions.
