PM Modi urges Rajya Sabha to unanimously pass women's reservation bill

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged Rajya Saba to unanimously pass the women's reservation bill once it comes before the Upper House to realise the full potential of 'narishakti' in nation-building.

The government on Tuesday introduced in Lok Sabha the constitutional amendment bill to reserve one-third of seats in lower house and state assemblies for women, reviving a bill pending for 27 years for want of consensus among parties.

Once approved by Lok Sabha, the bill - Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam - will come to Rajya Sabha for passage.

In his first address in Rajya Sabha in the new Parliament building, Modi said that today's occasion is historic and memorable.

Noting that Rajya Sabha is considered the Upper House of Parliament, he underlined the intentions of the makers of the Constitution that the House become a centre for serious intellectual discussions rising above the ebb and flow of political discourse while giving a direction to the nation.

“It is the natural expectation of the country,” he said and added such contributions to the nation increase the value of the proceedings.

Modi also stressed the need to achieve goals in a set time frame as the nation is no longer ready to wait.

He said the time has come to move with a new thinking and style to meet the aspirations of the people and that it will require expanding the scope of work and thought process.

He recalled that the issue of reservation for women in the Parliament has been pending for decades and everyone has contributed towards it in their capacity.

He pointed out that the bill was first introduced in 1996 and numerous deliberations and discussions took place during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, but the bill could not see the light of day due to the lack of numbers.

Modi expressed confidence that the bill will finally become law and ensure ‘Narishakti’ can work towards nation-building with the new energy of the new building.

''When the bill comes before you, I urge Rajya Sabha members to approve it unanimously,'' Modi said.

He said the bill should be unanimously passed so that power and outreach on 'Narishakti' are amplified to the fullest.

The prime minister said that in the Samvidhan Sadan (old Parliament building), ''we celebrated 75 years of Independence, when the century of Independence will be celebrated in the new building in 2047, it will be a celebration in Viksit Bharat''.

He further said that in the old building, India reached up to the 5th spot in terms of the economy of the world.

“I am confident that in the new parliament, we will be part of the top three economies of the world”, he said.

Referring to the decisions taken by his government in the last nine years, Modi said some of the issues that were pending for decades and considered monumental were pushed.

“Touching such issues was considered a huge mistake from the political standpoint,'' he said and added that the government took major strides in this direction even though it did not have the required numbers in Rajya Sabha.

He expressed satisfaction that the issues were taken up and resolved for the betterment of the nation and credited the maturity and intellect of the members for the same.

“The dignity of Rajya Sabha was upheld not because of sheer numbers in the House but due to dexterity and understanding,” he added.

In his speech, Prime Minister Modi quoted Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan that the Parliament is not just a legislative body but a deliberative body.