Guwahati, April 9 (IANS) Women who arrived to cast their votes in the Assam Assembly election, on Thursday, hailed the Women’s Reservation Bill. They appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “work” towards women empowerment and hoped the Bill will pave the way for women to come forward and raise their voices.

Notably, PM Modi shared a video message on Thursday, urging collective support for the Women’s Reservation Bill.

The government plans to introduce amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Act (Women Reservation Act) during the upcoming three-day special session of Parliament. Under the Bill, 33 per cent of seats will be reserved for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.

Referring to a signed article posted on his website, PM Modi urged citizens to read and share it widely, and to motivate political parties to support the legislation. He called for collective action during the upcoming Parliament sittings on April 16, 17, and 18.

Waiting in a queue at a polling booth, Sagarika told IANS, “Women should get equal rights as men because politics is also the same for both men and women.”

“If women don’t come forward then how will the country move towards development. A country progresses because of it’s women. That is why I liked this step taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” she said.

Referring to the article, Manju Das added, “The Prime Minister is doing good work, including for the poor.”

Divyamani mentioned how earlier women were forced to stay at home and even put a veil. She said, “Earlier, a woman couldn’t live for herself. Now as the Prime Minister is bringing this (Bill), women can raise voice for themselves.”

Significantly, PM Modi stated in his video that empowering women is essential to achieving the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.

Another women at a polling booth said, “Earlier it was difficult for women to leave homes for work. The husbands used to be stressed about their wives’ safety especially during night and so didn’t allow us to leave homes. Now we are not facing such issues in Assam.”

Youths and young female voters also came out in support of the Bill. Moreover, they emphasised on the struggles faced by women at work.

Luna, a young voter, said, “I hope the government brings more schemes for women empowerment.”

“If the Bill is passed it will be a very good thing because women are still struggling, specially in rural areas. So I hope this Bill empowers each and every woman. So that all women can thrive to become independent just like men,” she told IANS.

Another youngster added, “Compared to men, females face more struggles at work.”

Luna highlighted that safety is the most important thing for women. “Crimes against women like female foeticide cases are still taking place in the 21st century, so I would request the government to take steps for female protection. After this other things can be taken care of,” she said.

She further said, “Whenever I am in a male dominated area, I still feel unsafe.” She urged the government to implement stringent laws for the safety of women.

A woman who was leaving the booth after casting her vote, said, “Women should first empower themselves before the government does something.”

–IANS

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