KCR's daughter welcomes reported Cabinet nod for women's quota bill but remains apprehensive

Hyderabad, Sep 19 (IANS) BRS MLC K. Kavitha has welcomed the Union Cabinet’s reported nod for Women’s Reservation Bill but in the absence of information about the format of the Bill, she is apprehensive that it may get stalled in the Parliament.

Kavitha, daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, said it was the responsibility of the government to take all the parties along to ensure that there are no last-minute hiccups.

Finding fault with the government for lack of transparency with regard to clearance of the Bill by the Union Cabinet, she said the government should have officially informed the nation about it instead of selected media leaks.

The member of Telangana Legislative Council said while she welcomed the reported decision to table the Bill, she was worried because of what happened in the past.

"We want to know what format this bill is in. Is it in the same format when it was passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010 or it is in a completely different format," she said.

She recalled that last time the Bill lapsed due to objections from the OBC community, which wanted the OBC quota within the women's quota. The BRS leader said that she is also in favour of OBC quota but there is another issue if OBC reservation in general category should be removed.

Kavitha had recently written letters to leaders of all political parties to support and pass the Women's Reservation Bill in the special session of the Parliament. Three days ago, Chief Minister KCR had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate necessary legislative process to implement 33 per cent reservations each for women and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Parliament and state legislatures.

"As the Women's Reservation Bill is set to be tabled in Parliament, it is a significant victory for every single woman of our nation. I extend my best wishes to all the citizens of our country, both sisters and brothers. With the ruling party holding a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, the passage of this bill should occur smoothly, without any obstacles," Kavitha posted on X.

"The party made this commitment not once, but twice, in their manifestos, first in 2014 and then in 2019. The only missing piece was the political determination to see it through. Now is the time for the women of this country to take the centre stage in politics, a space they truly deserve. This marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in strengthening and shaping of our democracy. Now empowered women, empowering India will not be a distant dream," she added.