Jagdeep Dhankhar vs Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi On Women Reservation

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday said an impression should not be created that the reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies was “only on paper”, dismissing Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi’s remarks on the issue.

Participating in a discussion, Ms Chaturvedi the law on women’s reservation, passed by Parliament in September last year, will come into force only after 2029. “You (women) can stand in queue, but we (government) will open the door only in 2029,” she said.

Ms Dhankhar, who was in the Chair, said the passage of the law was an “epochal development” and any impression otherwise should not be sought to be made.

“I think there are some issues on which we need to be clearly very rational. The epochal development about women reservation was supported by the entire Parliament. Enlightened members of Parliament, you being one Priyanka Ji, you know that a process” has to be followed before it comes to fruition, he said.

“Therefore, to generate an ecosystem that something has been given and we are at the door not being given…let us not emanate an impression that something has been given which could be immediately implemented,” Mr Dhankhar said.

He said everyone knows that the process requires delimitation and identification of constituencies for reservation.

For three decades, he said, “Our mothers and sisters were waiting to get this reservation. Ultimately with the cooperation of all and with the lead of the executive, this has fructified.” “So this is a celebratory occasion and on this celebratory occasion, if we give an impression like this, that there’s something I’ve just been given on paper,” the chairman said.

“It is embedded in our Constitution. This is a constitutional right – one-third women reservation in Lok Sabha and state legislatures… Therefore, there will have to be a necessary process. I’ll leave it at that,” he said.

Shiv Sena MP Chaturvedi made her remarks during the discussion on the motion of thanks to the president’s address. She also said there was no reference to “inflation” and “unemployment” in the president’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament.

After Ajay Pratap Singh of the BJP completed his remarks to the motion, Dhankhar called names of about five speakers, but they were not present in the House.

To this, the chairman said they will not be given time on Wednesday to participate in the discussion.

“The members who are not present and have not availed the opportunity made available to them forfeit their rights for tomorrow. We will take up the remaining members’ address tomorrow,” he said before adjourning the proceedings till Wednesday morning.

The proceedings of the House were extended till 9 pm for the discussion. However, the proceedings were adjourned at around 8.35 pm.