Following the government's circulation of three bills to implement 33% women's reservation in Lok Sabha and assemblies, India's first woman president Pratibha Patil, former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, and BSP chief Mayawati have voiced support in letters to PM Narendra Modi.
In separate letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former president Pratibha Patil hailed the bills as a "decisive stride towards bridging historical inequities and creating a more just and equitable society."
Meira Kumar highlighted the 30-year struggle for the quota, dating back to a 1996 joint parliamentary committee under Geeta Mukherjee. Mayawati welcomed the move "despite the delay," suggesting separate OBC women's reservations would help.
The endorsements from these veteran leaders, including Congress figures Patil and Kumar, come amid their party's criticism of the government's handling of the legislation. The bills—tied to the 2023 Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam—propose delimitation using 2011 census data and Lok Sabha expansion, to be debated in the special session starting April 16.
