NEW DELHI, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- India's main opposition Congress Party chief Sonia Gandhi has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pass a legislation that mandates reservation of a third of seats in Parliament and state legislatures for women.
In a letter to Modi, the Congress Party president said that the Women's Reservation Bill has been stuck in Lower House of Parliament (Lok Sabha) ever since it was passed by the Upper House of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) in 2010 when her party was in power.
"Since then (2010) it (the legislation) has languished in the Lok Sabha for one reason or another," Gandhi wrote, pledging her party's support to the Indian government to push through the legislation in the Lower House.
Gandhi's letter to Modi, dated Wednesday, requesting Modi to use his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's majority in Lok Sabha to pass the Women's Reservation Bill, was released to the media Thursday.
Despite having a female prime minister -- Indira Gandhi as long ago as 1966, women in India have historically remained marginal in politics and political parties have made little effort for their upliftment.
The first Lok Sabha in 1951 had 22 women parliamentarians. However, there are currently a little over 60 women in the 545-member Lok Sabha. If the legislation is passed, their numbers would rise to 181.
India already reserves a third of local governing council seats in towns and villages for women, a move that is said to have significantly increased their role in decision-making.
