NEW DELHI, Sept 18: A bill to ensure reservation of 33 per cent seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies was cleared by the Union cabinet on Monday evening, official sources said. The government, however, is yet to announce it and skipped the customary briefing after the cabinet meet.
The meeting had spiked interest in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comment earlier in the day that “historic decisions” would be taken in this special session. A series of key meetings were also held ahead of it — Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi met Home Minister Amit Shah. BJP chief JP Nadda was also present at the meeting.
There was speculation that the cabinet may clear anything from reservation for women or Other Backward Classes, “One Nation One Election” and even a change of name of the country.
There were hopes of clarity after the meet, but the suspense continued with the government skipping the customary briefing.
(Manas Dasgupta)