NFIW demands immediate passage of Women's Reservation Bill

Expressing serious concerns over the non-passage of the Women Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha, a women's organisation organized district-level demonstrations in 24 states on Monday.

National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) members also protested outside Parliament and were later detained by police, the organisation said in a statement.

Most of the political parties have expressed their willingness to support and vote for the passage of the Bill when it is brought before the Lok Sabha, but the BJP-led NDA government has not shown any interest or taken any initiative to pass the Bill, the NFIW alleged in the statement.

"While receiving a memorandum demanding the passage of the Bill from NFIW delegation, the prime minister said that consensus is needed for this. During the last four and a half years time, Parliament passed or amended many legislations without any consensus. It is nothing but the double standard and it shows lack of political will and social commitment on the part of the NDA government," Annie Raja, General Secretary of the NFIW alleged.