The Women's Reservation Bill, 2023, was passed with wide support. Why might it have taken over 25 years for this bill to be passed, despite being discussed for so long?
The Women's Reservation Bill took over 25 years to pass due to several factors. Bills can face delays when there are disagreements among political parties on specific provisions, concerns about implementation, or lack of consensus on key aspects.
The legislative process requires bills to pass through multiple stages including committee scrutiny, debates in both houses, and potential amendments. Political priorities of different governments, coalition politics, and differences of opinion on reservation criteria and implementation mechanisms can all contribute to delays.
Additionally, disruptions in Parliament sessions, as mentioned in the chapter with declining productivity rates, can prevent bills from being discussed and passed in a timely manner.
Explanation
The chapter discusses challenges to effective functioning of legislatures, including regular absenteeism of members, non-cooperative conduct, reduced quality of debates, and disruptions of the Question Hour. The chapter also notes that when debates are disrupted and sessions are cut short, some bills take years to be discussed and passed. The data shows declining productivity in Parliament, with Rajya Sabha productivity declining from 78% (2004-14) to 65% thereafter.
Solution Steps
Disagreements among political parties on provisions and lack of consensus.
Complex legislative process involving multiple stages of scrutiny and debate.
Changing political priorities and dynamics of coalition politics.
Disruptions in Parliament sessions leading to declining productivity.