CM Naveen’s Efforts to Build Consensus on Women’s Reservation Bill Bring Results

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has always been in the forefront for building a national consensus on the issue of Women’s Reservation Bill. As part of the efforts, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik delegated senior Biju Janata Dal leaders to various states and sent memorandums on building a consensus on the Women’s Reservation Bill in 2018. After the State Assembly passed a unanimous resolution in this regard in 2018, the Chief Minister also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister in this regard.

The party’s strategy to carry forward the campaign seeking reservations of one-third seats for women in the Parliament and State Assemblies included submission of memorandum to leaders of various parties nationally. Naveen himself wrote a letter to all the Chief Ministers of the country and wanted their cooperation in making the Bill a unanimous one. On December 6th 2018, Naveen wrote to chief ministers of all states and union territories seeking their cooperation to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative assemblies and Parliament.

He wrote that “The support of chief ministers in giving rightful places to women in society will give a new direction towards women empowerment”. He also stated that women have a major role to play in building the nation and society. “Empowerment of women is empowerment of the nation. No household, no society, no state, no country has ever moved forward without empowering its women.”

Naveen instructed his leaders to visit various states and lead the campaign for women reservation. Senior leaders of Biju Janata Dal met the leadership of seven national parties and 15 regional parties in this regard including BJP, Congress TMC, BSP, CPI, CPM and NCP. They also met regional political parties Aam Aadmi Party, AIADMK, DMK, JD (U), JD (S), National Conference, Samajwadi Party, PDP, JMM and RJD among others.

As part of this, a BJD delegation led by senior party leader Debi Prasad Mishra met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and urged him to help in arriving at a consensus on the issue among all parties. Mishra also urged him to pass a resolution in favor of the Bill in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Likewise, a delegation comprising Badri Narayan Patra and Arup Patnaik met NCP President Sharad Pawar and handed over a letter from Naveen seeking support from BJD for ensuring 33% reservation for women in the Parliament and State Assemblies.