New Delhi: Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, in a letter to the Prime Minister demanded passing of Women's reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha taking advantage of the absolute majority with which the PM came to power.
In the letter Congress President reminded the Prime Minister of Congress's cumulative and indelible commitment to the cause of Women's Reservation as a necessary first.
According to a release issued by Congress 'India's future lies in its 'Women' – in empowerment, equal rights, and as an enabling trustee of unleashing India's potential. One of the principle edifices of this is the participative rights for women in India's legislative bodies i.e. Parliament and Legislatures, through ensuring 'Women Reservation'.
It states, Times demand, that India must rise to this historical opportunity to ensure truly representative and participative role for 50% of India's population in shaping her (India's) destiny in the 21st Century. Congress party had painstakingly made the efforts to pass Women Reservation Bill through Rajya Sabha yet it did not pass through Lok Sabha, on account of fresh elections. Another opportunity lies with us to rise above political differences to revisit and pass this historical imperative.
'Indian National Congress has always championed and ushered path breaking reforms to undo the societal prejudice and premeditated mindsets dating back to decades and centuries, for all sections of deprived and disadvantaged- be it Women or Scheduled Castes/Tribes or Backward Classes or the Poor.
'History will remember the revolutionary reforms through the codification of Hindu Civil Code in the year 1955, despite vehement opposition from the Right Wing forces to grant of equal Rights to Women as also ushering in new progressive doctrines of jurisprudence founded upon equality.
'It was Shri Rajiv Gandhi and Congress party again who reshaped participatory Democracy in India by the Constitutional guarantee of Reservation to Women in Panchayats, Panchayat Samiti, Zilla Parishads, Municipal Committee/Councils and Municipal Corporations. Even then regressive forces vehemently questioned the capacity of India's Women, but were decisively overruled by the resolve of Shri Rajiv Gandhi.
'During 10 years of UPA, Congress party and Smt. Sonia Gandhi again rewrote history of Social Justice by ending centuries of discrimination. Right to succession to ancestral property hitherto restricted to male members of the family was undone by recognizing that sons and daughters are equal inheritors and claimants to the family name and property. Naysayers again, criticized Smt. Gandhi and Congress for their modern views of putting women on equal footing, yet we proceeded ahead undeterred.
'The modern march of times has led to creation of newer offences against our girls and women, in order to subjugate them, stifle their voices and assault their independence in different ways. Once again, Congress party found a progressive solution to these challenges bringing in new definition of crimes, of stalking, of molestation, of assault and bodily harm and strengthening the penalties for crime against women through the historical Criminal Amendment Act.
It stated, 'similar were the pioneering efforts to address newer tribulations through the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005) the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place (Prevention and Protection) Act, 2013.
Even before Independence, the Congress is the only organization that has truly fought for equal political, social and economic rights for women and has always strived for greater equity and gender parity. Both pre and post-Independence, there have been women who have held the highest position in the organization- the position of the Congress President. It is the Congress that enabled women to become the First President of India; it is the Congress which elected the first women Prime Minister of India and also the first women Lok Sabha Speaker and several Chief Ministers and Governors. Time to course correct the path of history.'
