K Kavitha urges all parties to unite and pass the Women's Reservation Bill

Emphasising the importance of inclusivity in our democracy, she asserted that increased women's representation is not a matter of exclusivity but a means to build a more balanced political landscape

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha on Tuesday wrote a letter to the chiefs of all 47 political parties including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, calling upon them to set aside political differences and prioritise the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the upcoming special session of Parliament.

The Women's Reservation Bill seeks to reserve 33 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women. Despite being a crucial step towards gender parity and inclusive governance, the Bill has remained in legislative limbo for far too long.

In her letter, the BRS MLC Kavitha underscored the pivotal role women play in Indian discourse and the pressing need for their representation in legislative bodies. She highlighted the proof of concept provided by the 14 lakh women already active in public life, demonstrating their ability to lead and govern effectively.

Emphasising the importance of inclusivity in our democracy, K Kavitha asserted that increased women's representation is not a matter of exclusivity but a means to build a more equitable and balanced political landscape.

In a separate letter to the presidents of political parties including Bharatiya Janata Party chief JP Nadda, Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party, DMK's MK Stalin, NCP's Sharad Pawar, Congress' Mallikarjun Kharge, YSRCP's Jagan Mohan Reddy, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister KCR urged them to recognise the urgency of this matter and throw their weight behind the Women's Reservation Bill.

Meanwhile, while talking to ANI, Kavitha urged both treasury and opposition bench members to support the Bill in the upcoming five-sitting long Special Session of Parliament, convened by the Central government from September 18-22.

"There has been a special session of the Parliament called for various reasons. The issue of women's representation in the Parliament is of utmost importance and with folded hands I request all the political parties to take up this issue and rise above the political partisanship. This current govt does not have a comfortable majority in Rajya Sabha, but the Women's Reservation Bill is already passed in Rajya Sabha. So they just have to put it in the Lok Sabha and give the Women's Reservation Bill..." Kavitha said.

"The INDIA group is meeting today, so I request Malikkarjun Kharge, Nitish Kumar, and the top leadership of that group to kindly consider the Women's Reservation Bill as a top priority," she added.

Earlier, she sat on a hunger strike in March demanding the tabling and passing of the Women's Reservation Bill and has been engaging with political parties and civil society organisations across India to escalate the demand for the Bill.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said that women will have adequate representation in Parliament and State Assemblies with amendments to the Constitution soon which will make India "number one" even before 2047.

"I can tell you that the day is not far when in India, in the Parliament and State Assemblies, women will have adequate representation with appropriate amendments to the Constitution. We will be a global power by 2047 but if this reservation takes place early, we will be number 1 even before 2047...," Vice President Dhankar said while addressing an interactive program with the girl students of "Vishwavidyalaya Maharani Mahavidyalaya" in Rajasthan's Jaipur.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday informed about the five-day special session of Parliament from September 18-22. The agenda for the special session, however, was not revealed yet.