Embarrassment for Congress? 3 Telangana MPs arrive late, miss voting on Women’s Reservation bill

Hyderabad: The Congress party is facing embarrassment, after its own MPs from Telangana reportedly ‘skipped or missed’ out on voting on the Women’s Reservation Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha in New Delhi on September 20. The Rajya Sabha passed the bill on September 21.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A Revanth Reddy, Nalgonda MP Uttam Kumar Reddy, and Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy were allegedly delayed by a screening committee meeting, due to which the doors to the Lok Sabha closed before they could reach, making them miss out on voting. It is a setback to the Congress, as they claimed that the Women’s Reservation Bill is the brainchild of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which got the bill passed in Rajya Sabha in 2010. “It is ours. Voh hamara Bill hai (it’s our bill),” former Congress president Sonia Gandhi told the media when she arrived at the Parliament.

Congress leaders first deny but its official handle confirms it later

Out of the three MPs, Uttam Kumar Reddy confirmed to a news channel that while trying to juggle between a screening committee meeting and the voting process, he missed out on the latter. The other two have remained tight-lipped. Earlier in the day, NewsMeter reached out to a dozen Congress leaders who vehemently denied the news. However, surprisingly, none put out an official statement, until 4 PM.

When NewsMeter asked Congress MP Manickam Tagore, he said, “False, the MPs were present during the voting.” However, he didn’t confirm if they voted. A spokesperson from Gandhi Bhavan clarified that the MPs were present in Delhi at the time but again none would confirm if the MPs voted. “The Lok Sabha speaker on record said the bill has garnered an overwhelming response. It cannot be that the Congress MPs have missed out on voting,” a representative from the Gandhi Bhavan told NewsMeter.

This correspondent approached Padmavathi Reddy, wife of Uttam Kumar Reddy for a comment. However, she would not confirm since Uttam Kumar Reddy was out of reach.

Later in the day, the official handle of the Congress said that, " Our leaders could not attend as they were working for the interests of the state. It is a shame that some are politicizing it. If the Congress MPs are fighting for Telangana state in the parliament, fighting for their lives and bearing pepper sprays, can you tell what KCR did without supporting the bill?. The Congress clarified that the MPs missed out on voting.

BRS releases daggers

The BRS in Telangana has released a ray of arrows against the Congress MPs for not taking the Women’s Reservation bill seriously. The BRS social media handles are clogged with pictures of the three MPs failing to mark their vote.

The BRS took on the Congress for prioritizing candidates selection over the Women's Reservation Bill.

The Women’s Reservation Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010 amid a ruckus. The then Congress-led UPA was not able to introduce the bill in Lok Sabha as there were objections from their alliance partners. Enter 2023, cutting across party lines, Rajya Sabha members supported the bill to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lower House of Parliament and state Assemblies, even as some opposition members termed it an election gimmick.

During the debate in the Upper House on the 128th Constitution Amendment Bill that seeks to reserve a third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for women, members also highlighted the need to accelerate the process instead of waiting for a fresh census and a delimitation exercise.

Opposition says election gimmick

Taking part in the discussion, Elamaram Kareem of CPI(M), while supporting the bill, said the BJP had promised to bring the Women’s Reservation bill in 2014 and 2019 as well but did not take any action. He held the ruling party responsible for women’s reservations being left out for nine years. “This is an election gimmick by the BJP after losing elections in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, besides facing defeat in the civic polls in Delhi polls,” he said. Citing violence against women in strife-torn Manipur and allegations of sexual harassment by women wrestlers, Kareem alleged the government cared little for women.

Ram Nath Thakur of the JD(U) questioned the timing of bringing the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’. Bharat Rashtra Samithi MP K Keshava Rao stressed the need to accelerate the process for women’s reservation and said the 2011 census could be taken as the benchmark. He urged the immediate appointment of the delimitation commission. MDMK’s Vaiko also echoed similar sentiments.

Saroj Pandey of the BJP said it was unfortunate that questions have been raised on the timing and the intent of bringing the bill. As the country celebrates ‘Amrit Kaal’, this is the ideal moment for such legislation, she said.

Asom Gana Parishad MP Birendra Prasad Baishya noted that the Women’s Reservation bill has come at a “proper time” after failed attempts in the past. JD(S) leader HD Devegowda also supported the bill and recollected steps taken by him for women’s reservation while he was the chief minister of Karnataka and also the prime minister.

Manoj Jha of the RJD demanded that the Women’s Reservation bill be referred to a select committee to consider extending similar benefits to Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

V Vijayasai Reddy of the YSRCP also supported the bill and said the reservation for women must also be extended to Rajya Sabha and state legislative councils.

KC Venugopal of the Congress sought immediate implementation of the legislation. He also sought reservations for the OBC women under the bill. Venugopal claimed that the Narendra Modi government did not make any effort to bring the bill in the last nine years. He said the legislation was passed keeping political calculations in mind. “Life-transforming legislations should come from the heart and not from the head,” he said in the Upper House.