The Women's Reservation Bill on Wednesday was passed in the Lok Sabha during Special Session of Parliament in New Delhi. The bill received 452 votes in favour of it, a historic mandate by all measures. Only 2 votes were received against the bill.
The two MPs who voted against the bill are reportedly from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and party MP from Aurangabad Imitiaz Jaleel are said to be the two members of Lok Sabha who resented against the historic bill. AIMIM is a minority party that advocates for the concerns of Muslims, Dalits and Tribals.
Asaduddin Owaisi
Asaduddin Owaisi currently serves as the President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen. He has been elected four times as a Member of Parliament, representing the Hyderabad constituency in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament.
Asaduddin is the third individual to hold the position of national president within the All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party in India, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
Imtiaz Jaleel
Imtiyaz Jaleel Syed, also recognized as Syed Imtiyaz Jaleel, is an Indian politician who is affiliated with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). He secured his position as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha representing the Aurangabad Lok Sabha Constituency during the 2019 General Elections. In 2014, he was elected as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, representing the Aurangabad Central constituency. Additionally, he holds the role of state president for All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen in Maharashtra and is a member of the Standing Committee on Urban Development (UD).
Major flaw in bill: Owaisi
Earlier on Tuesday, Owaisi voiced his objection to the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' (women reservation bill), stating that he opposes the bill because it lacks provisions for women belonging to the Muslim and OBC communities.
"Who are you giving representation to? Those who don't have representation should be given representation. The major flaw in this bill is that there is no quota for women from Muslim and OBC communities, so we are against it," the AIMIM chief told news agency ANI.
“You are making a bill so that there is representation of the underrepresented. Till now, 17 Lok Sabha elections have taken place in which 8,992 MPs have been elected. Out of these, only 520 were Muslims and in this not even a handful were women. There is a deficit of 50%," he said.
Even during the debate on the bill on Wednesday, Asaduddin Owaisi opposed the bill, saying Modi govt wants to increase representation only for 'savarana' women. "This bill will affect the representation of OBC women, and Muslim women. This is a woman deception bill, anti-OBC, anti-Muslim bill," Owaisi said.
