Minister for Information and Broadcasting, M. Venkaiah Naidu (PTI Photo by Manvender Vashist) Minister for Information and Broadcasting, M. Venkaiah Naidu (PTI Photo by Manvender Vashist)

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said Friday that the Centre would pass the legislation providing 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures once it has a majority in the Upper House. In the House of 245, the BJP currently has 56 members, the Congress 60 members and the rest of the seats occupied by regional parties like SP, BSP, RJD, JD(U) and AIADMK. The elections in five states, results of which will come out on March 11, are instrumental for the BJP. Uttar Pradesh, one among the five states with 403 Assembly seats, can turn around equations in the Rajya Sabha.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has this in mind and the day is not is far when Parliament will pass the law providing women reservation through consensus. Once we (NDA) get majority in Rajya Sabha, we will get the Bill passed,” Naidu said, addressing the National Women’s Parliament in Amaravati today. “A mere Bill is not sufficient. What is needed is political will and administrative skill. Political parties should show conviction in this regard,” he said.

“Push for policy changes. With your moral support, we will bring in changes to empower women,” Naidu said.

The three-day National Women’s Parliament, being organised by Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly with the theme of ‘Empowering Women – Strengthening Democracy’, began today in the state capital of Amaravati.

Apart from Naidu, Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, N Chandrababu Naidu, Kiran Bedi, Manisha Koirala also attended the event.

“We are a state where women were given the right to property for the first time and we are the state where we have 33% reservation for women in jobs,” said Chandrababu Naidu, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.

There would be seven plenary sessions at the event with discussions on subjects like socio-political challenges in women empowerment, women’s status and decision-making, building own identity and vision for the future.

(With inputs from PTI)

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