Congress stages dharna in Doon demanding implementation of women’s reservation
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 23 Apr: The Uttarakhand Congress staged a massive one-day sit-in protest outside the Assembly building today under the leadership of state party president Ganesh Godiyal. The party has demanded immediate implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in the state Assembly. Addressing the party workers on this occasion, Godiyal accused the BJP of deliberately misleading the public on the issue of women’s reservation and asserted that the ruling party’s intentions are not clear.
Hundreds of Congress workers including senior leaders Harish Rawat, Pritam Singh, Dr Harak Singh Rawat, Alok Sharma, MLAs Mamta Rakesh, Anupama Rawat and Ravi Bahadur participated in the demonstration. The programme was jointly conducted by Dr Jasvinder Singh Gogi and Om Prakash Sati Babban.
Godiyal reminded the gathering that, in 2023, both Houses of Parliament had passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam with overwhelming support, but the BJP has since delayed its implementation. He said that, instead of enforcing the provisions by the stipulated date, the government introduced delimitation measures without a census, thereby misleading not only Parliament but also the people, particularly women. He recalled that Rajiv Gandhi had first introduced reservation for women in local bodies, which today has resulted in 15 lakh elected women representatives across the country.
Harish Rawat reminded that, in 2008, the Congress government under Manmohan Singh had passed the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha, though BJP MPs had opposed it. He said political compulsion forced the BJP to bring the Bill in 2023, and while Congress welcomed it, the ruling party has failed to honour its commitment.
Pritam Singh pointed out that the Bill was supposed to come into effect by 16 April 2026, but the BJP government has not implemented it, leaving women across the country feeling neglected. He accused BJP leaders of running a calculated campaign to mislead the public, while Congress has consistently stood for equal rights.
Dr Harak Singh Rawat declared that the women of India would never forgive the BJP for betraying their aspirations. He said despite unanimous support from opposition parties, the ruling party has conspired to push the Bill into cold storage. Congress leaders reiterated that the struggle for women’s reservation will continue until the BJP government ensures rightful representation for women in legislative bodies.
The protest witnessed participation from a wide spectrum of Congress leaders and workers including Navprabhat, Aryendra Sharma, Rajendra Bhatt, Sanjay Paliwal, Ashwini Bahuguna, Surendra Rangad, Mahendra Singh Negi Guruji, Vaibhav Walia, Rajkumar, Upendra Thapli, Dr Pratima Singh, Ajay Singh, Yashpal Chauhan, Amarendra Bisht, Rajendra Chaudhary, Rakesh Miyan, Sanjay Kishore, Virendra Pokhriyal, Amarjit Singh, Anuj Gupta, Garima Dasouni, Sheeshpal Bisht, Lal Chandra Sharma, Hema Purohit, Pankaj Kshetri, Piya Thapa, Surat Singh Negi, Dinesh Kaushal, Manish Nagpal, Vikas Negi, Poonam Kandari, Savitri Thapa, Mohan Kala, Asha Dobriyal, Pushpa Panwar, Lalit Bhadri. Manmohan Sharma and Anuradha Tiwari.
