Special Parliament session: Sonia Gandhi demands caste census along with passage of women's quota bill

Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday (September 20) conveyed her party's full support for the Women's Reservation Bill. She expressed concern about the prolonged delay in implementing the bill and questioned how many more years women would have to wait for equal representation in Parliament and state assemblies.

Sonia Gandhi called for swift action and insisted that a caste census be conducted to ensure that women from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes receive their rightful reservation.

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She also acknowledged the perseverance and determination of women, highlighting their enduring commitment to achieving gender equality. 

"This is an emotional moment of my own life as well. For the first time, Constitutional amendment to decide women's representation in local body election was brought by my life partner Rajiv Gandhi," the former Congress chief said.

"It was defeated in Rajya Sabha by 7 votes. Later, Congress Govt, under the leadership of PM PV Narasimha Rao, passed it in Rajya Sabha. As a result, we have 15 lakh elected women leaders across the country through local bodies," she said.

"Rajiv Gandhi's dream is only partially complete. It will complete with the passing of this Bill," she further said.