CM Himanta terms Congress ‘anti-women’ as Assam Assembly adopts resolution for expediting reservation

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday accused the Congress of being anti-women after the party staged a brief walkout in the Assembly during a discussion on a government resolution supporting 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures.

Sarma claimed that Congress MLAs had received instructions from the party’s central leadership not to remain present in the House when the resolution was adopted.

He alleged that the grand old party had surrendered to the anti-women policies of its allies, such as the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), when they stalled the reservation bill from being passed in Parliament.

Women and Child Welfare Minister Ajanta Neog on Monday moved the resolution that "in order to honour women’s power and ensure the holistic development and empowerment of women, one-third reservation for women in Parliament and in all legislative Assemblies should be implemented with immediate effect, after completing the process of delimitation".

Congress and Raijor Dal legislators briefly walked out when Sarma began speaking on the resolution, objecting to remarks made against the Congress by BJP MLA Bhuban Pegu during his speech. The Congress members, however, later returned to the House before the resolution was taken up.

Participating in the discussion, Sarma said the women’s reservation bill was moved in Parliament several times over the past decades, and though the Congress had been in power, it had not ensured its passage.

"Congress would say it supports women’s reservation and table the bill in Parliament. But when its allies SP and RJD created even a little ruckus against it, the Speaker would immediately put off the discussion," he said.

"When the BJP was the main opposition party, we had offered to support the bill, and it would have ensured that it was passed. But the Congress surrendered to the anti-women policy of the SP and the RJD," the CM claimed.

Sarma further claimed that the Congress again stalled reservation for women by not supporting the latest Constitutional amendment bill in April.

According to him, the amendment bill would have benefited Assam by not only ensuring 33 per cent reservation for women but also increasing the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies in the state.

The increase in constituencies would have meant greater representation for indigenous communities, Sarma said.

Criticising the Congress for the walk-out, he said, "I had received information in the morning itself that instructions have come from Delhi to ensure that Congress is not present in the House when the resolution is adopted." "This stance of the Congress proves that they are anti-women and also do not want Lok Sabha and Assembly seats to increase in the state," he added.

Supporting the resolution, the chief minister said Assam has a legacy of honouring women power, from goddess Kamakhya to Ahom princess Joymoti to freedom fighter Kanaklata, and they have played a pivotal role in the state's social discourse.

He also cited the contribution of the 40 lakh women associated with self-help groups in the state, who are contributing to the economy.

The resolution was later adopted by a voice vote.