Women reservation bill to end struggle for political representation for women: LoP Sunil Sharma

Jammu, Apr 15: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in J&K Legislative Assembly Sunil Sharma Wednesday, while crediting the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing revolutionary “Naari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023”, asserted that it (Bill) ended a protracted struggle to ensure rightful political representation for women in the country.

He was addressing “Naari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam – Mahila Samvad” organised by an amalgam of women’s organisations at the Central Mahajan Sabha, Shalamar Road, Jammu.

The initiative by J&K Bharatiya Janata Party was aimed at expressing gratitude to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ensuring enhanced political representation for women through the historic Naari Shakti Vandan Act, 2023.

Sunil Sharma asserted that the Modi government fundamentally transformed the discourse on women empowerment, from symbolic inclusion to real, institutional participation. He emphasised that while previous governments kept the issue of women’s reservation entangled in political deadlock, it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong will and commitment that translated this long-pending demand into reality.

In a strong endorsement of women’s political empowerment, the Leader of Opposition hailed the Naari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 as a “historic and visionary reform” driven by the decisive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“It marks the culmination of decades of struggle to ensure rightful political representation for women. Delaying women’s representation weakens the very foundation of democracy and the Modi government’s push for early implementation of the Act reflects its seriousness in ensuring inclusive governance,” he said.

Sunil Sharma, who graced the occasion as special guest, remarked that the legislation completed the journey from social and economic empowerment to full political empowerment of women, laying the foundation for a stronger, more balanced democracy.

The event witnessed the participation of a wide cross-section of women representation from society including five Inner Wheel teams, ex-DDCs, ex-BDCs, ex-Councillors, former Sarpanches, ex-Panchs, heads and members, Self-Help Groups, social activists, members of Swadeshi Jagran Manch, Durga Vahini, Modi Jagran Manch, WWAO, BJP Mahila Morcha, advocates, doctors and citizens from different walks of life.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included BJP J&K vice president and former minister Priya Sethi, BJP spokespersons Purnima Sharma (former Deputy Mayor) and Rajni Sethi, Veenu Khanna, Veena Handa, Amita Sharma, Saavmya Pramukh besides others.

Purnima Sharma, in coordination with other women organisations organised the whole event.

Earlier, welcoming the gathering, Purnima Sharma, termed the Naari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam a “historic structural reform,” stating that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India moved from women development to women-led development, ensuring women’s rightful place in governance.

Ritu Singh, entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of Delhi Public Schools said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a decades-old demand for women’s political reservation was fulfilled. She highlighted that earlier attempts had failed due to political deadlock, but this legislation paved the way for equal participation of women in governance.

She remarked that the Act would lay the foundation for a stronger and more inclusive democracy.

Varsha Bansal, chairperson of FICCI FLO J&K-Ladakh, elaborated on the core provisions of the Act, stating that the legislation aimed at providing 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, including within SC and ST reserved seats, made possible under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She highlighted that despite women forming nearly 50 percent of India’s population, their representation in Parliament remained around 13–14percent, calling the Act a much-needed corrective step.

She said the move from 14 percent to 33 percent represented a structural correction in Indian democracy and would ensure inclusive and balanced governance.

Educationist Anthony emphasised that the Act, brought under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would go beyond representation and had the potential to transform governance outcomes. She noted that greater participation of women would strengthen sectors like education, healthcare, nutrition and social welfare.

She said, “India, which currently lags behind the global average of women’s representation, will benefit significantly from this reform. The initiative will inspire young girls to aspire for leadership roles.”

A representative from Vidyarthi Parishad stated that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, a long-pending reform was finally realised after decades of delay.

Referring to the success of women’s reservation in Panchayati Raj institutions, the speaker said the Act would take the empowerment from grassroots to Parliament and urged youth to support this transformation.

The speakers also highlighted that under the policies and initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, women empowerment was strengthened across sectors—be it financial inclusion, social dignity, healthcare support, or economic opportunities—and the Act would be a natural extension of those efforts into political representation.