Sudip Roy Barman, a Member of the Congress Working Committee, has voiced strong criticism against the BJP government at the Centre regarding the recently passed Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha. During a press conference held at the Congress Bhavan on Friday, Barman asserted that the timing of this bill, just ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, was a political move aimed at benefiting the BJP government.
Barman went on to demand the immediate implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill starting in the year 2024. He alleged that the government was deliberately avoiding its implementation while diverting attention away from the demand for a caste census.
According to Barman, “The Modi-government at the Centre, which introduced the bill, has stated that it will only be implemented after the completion of the census and delimitation processes. This, he argued, is a lengthy procedure that could delay the implementation of the bill by a decade, which he found unacceptable,” he informed reporters.
He further alleged, “The Central government is withholding Census data. This leads us to question whether this government can be labeled as anti-dalit, anti-tribe, and anti-OBC? In the case of our state, Tripura, nearly 27 percent of the total population belongs to the OBC category, although the government has reported a figure of 24 percent. We are still unaware of the precise figures, as the government has not yet disclosed them. Consequently, OBCs in Tripura and across the nation are being denied access to government schemes.”
Sudip Roy Barman’s criticism sheds light on the political implications and concerns surrounding the Women’s Reservation Bill, with implications for both gender equality and social welfare policies.
