‘Teasing illusion’: Chidambaram after Women’s Reservation Bill gets President’s nod

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday took a dig at the Centre after the Women Reservation Bill got President Droupadi Murmu’s assent and described the bill as a “teasing illusion” as it may have become law but it will not become a reality for several years.

“Government has claimed that the Women’s Reservation Bill has become ‘law’. The Bill may have become law but the law will not become a reality for several years,” Chidambaram wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Chidambaram questioned the utility of the law if it can’t be implemented for several years. “What is the use of a law that will be not be implemented for several years, certainly not before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections?” he said.

Dubbing the bill as an “election jumla” to voo the voters ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Chidambaram said, “The law is a teasing illusion, a reflection of the moon in a bowl of water or a pie in the sky.”

According to a law ministry notification issued on Friday, President Murmu has signed the bill into law which seeks to provide 33% reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. The Women’s Reservation Bill or Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023 would be officially known as the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act.

However, the reservation will be implemented after the new Census and delimitation.

The quota for women in the Lok Sabha and assemblies will continue for 15 years and Parliament can later extend the benefit period. While there is quota within quota for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) women, the opposition had demanded that the benefit be extended to Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

During a special session of Parliament from September 18-22, the Constitution amendment bill was passed by both Houses of Parliament with unanimity after it shifted its operation to the new Parliament building on September 19.