AGARTALA: In a powerful joint initiative, the top leadership of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) and several allied women’s fronts hosted a press conference at the AIDWA state headquarters today, demanding the immediate and unconditional implementation of the 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures ahead of the upcoming monsoon session.
The movement has brought together a broad coalition of progressive women’s organizations, including NFIW, AIUMS, AIAMS, AISMCC, and AILU. The press interaction was organized to outline a series of intense protest programs scheduled to take place in Agartala tomorrow, July 20, coinciding with national-level demonstrations.
Addressing the media, senior leader Krishna Rakshit stated, “The monsoon session of Parliament begins tomorrow, July 20. We are demanding that the 33% women’s reservation bill be enacted immediately without any malicious conditions like delimitation. While a massive protest will be staged at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, we will simultaneously organize a major demonstration at Agartala’s Battala at 11:00 AM tomorrow.”
Krishna Rakshit also strongly criticized the central government’s propaganda, asserting that renaming the women’s reservation bill without actually implementing it on the ground is a deception against women. Furthermore, she expressed deep condemnation regarding the alleged detention/abduction of renowned climate activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk, adding that student and youth wings would also hit the streets of Agartala tomorrow in protest.
Joining the attack, prominent leader Panchali Bhattacharya slammed the central leadership, stating, “In his 12 years of governance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not pass a clean bill. Intentionally linking the implementation of the reservation bill to a post-census delimitation exercise is nothing but a deep-rooted conspiracy to delay the political empowerment of women indefinitely.”
