NEW DELHI: Unanimity shown by political parties in support of the women's reservation bill, which was introduced in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, is seen by BJP with optimism to add to its ticked list of long-time poll promises.BJP has been consistent in its support for the women's reservation bill.
But the one introduced by the NDA government in Lok Sabha in 1998 lapsed with dissolution of the House.
The successive NDA government again introduced the bill in 1999 in the 13th Lok Sabha on December 23, 1999, but the bill remained on paper in the absence of political consensus.
The bill was reintroduced in 2002 and 2003 by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee again, but without success.Amid speculation over tabling of Women's Reservation Bill, Sonia Gandhi, says 'It is ours'At the national executive meet in Bhopal in 2007 when Rajnath Singh was BJP chief, the party passed a resolution pledging 33% quota for women in legislatures.Despite differences with Congress, BJP supported the women's bill which was passed in Rajya Sabha in 2010.
But resistance of parties like RJD and SP, whose support was critical for the survival of the Congress-led UPA government, prevented its introduction in Lok Sabha.
BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said Congress has always paid lip service to "the agenda of women representation while in practice sabotaging it through its alliance partners".
"The Vajpayee government introduced the bill at least six times, but each time Congress and its allies scuttled it," Malviya said.Watch: Women BJP workers celebrate in Telangana as women's reservation bill takes center stage in parliamentHe said Congress could pass the bill in Rajya Sabha only because of support of BJP.
"But it proved to be a lip service of Congress, as in Lok Sabha, the party orchestrated the drama of its allies who did not allow the bill to be passed.
Sonia Gandhi even admitted that her own party MPs opposed it," Malviya said.BJP Mahila Morcha President Vanathi Srinivasan, an MLA from Tamil Nadu, said the bill is a significant step towards 'Nari Sakthi' which is also 'Rashtra Sakthi'.Since 2014, the Modi government has fulfilled BJP's long pending poll promises like construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, withdrawal of special status to J-K under Article 370 and 35-A and banning triple talaq.New Parliament: Smriti Irani criticizes Sonia and Rahul Gandhi's absence during Women's Reservation Bill introductionWatchNo quota for women in 2024: Must-know details about the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam introduced in Parliament