Below we publish the statement issued by the All India Democratic Women's Association, All India Mahila Sanskritik Sangathan and All India Progressive Women's Association, on September 19.

AS per the news in the media, the union cabinet cleared the proposed legislation to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. It has also been placed before the Lok Sabha for discussion during the ongoing special session of parliament.

The bill guarantees a 33 per cent quota for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Women's organisations have been demanding that this bill be passed for the past 25 years.

According to the draft of the bill cleared by the union cabinet, it seems that the reservation will come into effect only by the 2029 parliamentary elections. National women's organisations clearly feel that if the BJP government was serious about women's reservation in the parliament and state assemblies, it could have got it passed in 2014 itself.

The government must ensure that the discussion on the bill is held in a democratic manner and the opinion of women's organisations must be taken into consideration.