A government resolution proposing 33 percent reservation for women was passed by voice vote in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly. It is being told that this proposal places special emphasis on empowerment, dignity of women and increasing their political participation. However, before the motion was passed, the House witnessed heated debate between the ruling party and the opposition, which on several occasions devolved into personal allegations and counter-allegations. Meanwhile, a heated argument was also seen between Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and the leader of the opposition.
The proposal tabled by the government demands that one-third (33%) reservation be given to women in Parliament and all state assemblies. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need to expedite the delimitation process and implement this reservation with immediate effect. Voting was done by hand on the proposal in the House, after which the Speaker declared it passed. Objecting to the government's proposal, opposition leader Umang Singhar argued that since half of the country's population is women, they should be given 50 percent reservation instead of 33 percent.
Opposition leader Umang Singhar also raised the question as to why reservation cannot be implemented immediately, while the government is talking about completing the delimitation and census processes only by 2029. Taking aim at the Central government, Singhar remarked that in the modern era, public opinion can be easily gauged through social media. Citing the examples of Ahilyabai Holkar and Indira Gandhi, she underlined the historical role played by women.
Responding to the opposition's allegations, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav hit back at the Congress party. She stressed that despite being in power for a long time after independence, Congress failed to implement reservation for women. Taking a jibe at the opposition, the Chief Minister questioned their political intentions, saying that if reservation for women had been implemented earlier, participation of women in politics would have been much higher today. Citing figures, he said that under the proposed structure, the number of women members in the Lok Sabha could potentially increase to 273, while the number of women MPs from Madhya Pradesh alone could increase from 6 to 14.
During the debate, the atmosphere became so heated that a heated exchange broke out between Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and the leader of the opposition. Responding to the opposition, the Chief Minister said, “Don't shout, I can speak ten times louder than you.” Meanwhile, the opposition accused the government of postponing the issue for political gains. Amid heated exchanges and uproar between both sides, the resolution was finally passed.
