"CWC must take up OBC representation along with Women's Reservation Bill": Congress' Hanumantha Rao

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 10 : Senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao on Friday said that the party's Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting, scheduled ahead of the special Parliament session beginning April 16, should also deliberate on the issue of OBC representation, alongside discussions on the Women's Reservation Bill.

Speaking to ANI, Rao said the upcoming parliamentary session would be crucial and urged the Congress leadership, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, to take a strong stand in Parliament.

"They will discuss the women's reservation bill in the Parliament session from the 16th onwards. The CWC will also conduct a meeting. The OBC issue should also be discussed in this meeting. My request to the Congress President and Rahul Gandhi in this CWC meeting is to fight in Parliament," Hanumantha Rao said.

Rao further argued that the implementation of Women's Reservation must also ensure representation for women from marginalised and backward communities, cautioning that otherwise it may disproportionately benefit "upper-class" women.

"Along with women, SC and ST representation will be discussed. OBC representation too, should also be discussed in this meeting. Otherwise, all upper-class ladies will come. People below the poverty line, like OBC, should get into the Parliament and the assembly also. Their share should be there," he said.

Rao also said that OBC women are holding demonstrations demanding inclusion and fair representation in the proposed framework.

"OBC ladies are also doing a dharna, so they should take the categorisation for OBC seriously, and also they will get an opportunity in the assembly and parliament for ladies. Only this bill will be passed without OBC; it will damage every OBC community," he said.

Reacting to the development, BJP MP DK Aruna said the Women's Reservation law, passed in 2023 with broad consensus, must now be implemented without delay and supported by all political parties.

"The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam Bill, which was passed in Parliament in 2023 with the consent of all MPs, needs to be implemented. To bring this bill into practice for the upcoming 2029 elections and to get the consent of all parties and MPs, a Parliamentary session is scheduled for the 16th, 17th, and 18th. In this session, all parties and MPs should unanimously pass this bill," she said.

Aruna further said that women across the country are awaiting effective implementation of the 33 per cent reservation in legislatures, adding that broader political consensus would strengthen democratic participation.

"Women across the country are waiting for this 33% reservation. Not just women, but all our brothers should also support passing this bill so that women can be elected to every assembly and the Parliament," she added.

She also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the special session with the objective of ensuring the timely implementation of the legislation by 2029, aligning it with the government's broader vision of "Viksit Bharat" by 2047.

The Congress party will convene a meeting of its CWC in Delhi on Friday, April 10, to deliberate developments related to the Women's Reservation Bill, ahead of a three-day special session of Parliament scheduled to begin on April 16.

This comes as the Parliament is set to meet for a three-day special session from April 16, with a focus on the Women's Reservation Amendment Bill.

The Congress CWC meeting is expected to focus on the party's strategy ahead of the special session, where the government is likely to introduce amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam to streamline its implementation. The legislation aims to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

The proposed changes would take the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to around 816, with nearly one-third reserved for women. The legislation, along with a Delimitation Bill, is expected to be introduced as Constitutional amendments.

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