Former Chief Minister of the erstwhile Left Front government and politburo member, Manik Sarkar, launched a scathing attack on the BJP government at the Centre over the Women’s Reservation Bill, alleging that the BJP is exploiting the bill for political gains in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
Sarkar made these remarks while addressing a daylong convention of the Tripura Tapashili Jati Samannoy Samiti at the Agartala Town Hall.
He highlighted the historical context of the Women’s Reservation Bill, stating, “It was the women’s organization of the Left Front that initially proposed the Women’s Reservation Bill. It was subsequently passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 during the tenure of the Manmohan Singh-led Congress government at the Centre.” Sarkar emphasized that the movement advocating for the bill has been ongoing for the past 27 years.
Manik Sarkar questioned the Modi-led central government’s intent in introducing this bill during a special session of Parliament, saying, “Before the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the BJP pledged to enact this bill into law in the first year of their tenure. So, why did it take them nine years to table this bill in Parliament?”
He further elucidated, “The bill contains provisions specifying that the reservation will be implemented only after the delimitation exercise, involving the redrawing of constituencies, based on data from a census conducted after the bill becomes law.”
Sarkar did not stop at the Women’s Reservation Bill; he also criticized the Centre for its handling of the recently held G20 summit in Delhi. He asserted, “The Centre spared no effort to gain political mileage through the G-20 Summit. The entire summit, which invited world leaders, seemed designed to present Narendra Modi as a ‘Vishwa Guru’ (World Leader) just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.”
Sarkar underscored that the BJP has encountered significant challenges since the 2019 Lok Sabha election, while opposition parties are devising strategies to unseat the BJP from power and establish a democratic government for the betterment of the country’s citizens.
