Rahul asks Capt to pass resolution

NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi has written to Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, urging his government in the state to pass a resolution calling on the Centre to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill.

Rahul has written the letter, seeking passage of a resolution urging the central government to pass the bill, to the chief ministers of those states where the Congress is in power.

In his letter to the Punjab CM, Rahul noted that the Rajya Sabha passed the 108th constitutional amendment bill in 2010, but it lapsed after the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.

“The Congress and several parties have called on the prime minister to ensure the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill and pledged their support. While the opponents of the bill have cast doubts on the ability of women to affect change, the leadership role taken by women after the 73rd and 73th constitutional amendments have proved the detractors wrong,” he said in his letter. The bill seeks to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

“In order to affirm our support to the passage of the Bill, it would be expedient for the state assembly to pass a resolution calling for the reservation of onethird of the seats in the Lok Sabha and legislative assembly for women, in the next session,” Rahul said.

He said that Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev had also written to all party-led state governments in this regard on November 23.

The legislative assemblies of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have already taken a lead and passed a resolution calling on the central government to enact the women’s reservation bill, he noted. Rahul’s letter comes just days before the start of the winter session of Parliament.

Ahead of Parliament’s monsoon session, Rahul had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to “demonstrate his commitment to the cause of women”, and ensure the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill during that session.