Women's reservation idea a century old, says Modi

New Delhi: In an open letter to the women of India, ahead of Parliament taking up the Constitution amendment to pave the way for the implementation of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the idea of reserving seats for women in legislatures is nearly a century old, noting that Sardar Patel had proposed it during his tenure as president of the Ahmedabad Municipality.

Modi stressed that any further delay in implementing a 33% reservation to women would be "unfortunate and a gross injustice". "This is a subject on which there is broad consensus, not only in the present but also for several decades in the past. About a hundred years ago, during his tenure as the president of Ahmedabad Municipality, Sardar Patel worked towards reserving seats for women," Modi said.

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The PM also emphasised that India had equal rights for men and women from the time of Independence, unlike many countries where women had to wait decades for such rights.

Modi insisted that it is important for all sides to join hands to ensure that women's representation in legislative bodies is implemented in both letter and spirit at the earliest.

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"Our democracy will become stronger and more vibrant if the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and various assembly elections that year are held with women's reservation fully in place. For that, the upcoming legislation in Parliament must be passed..."