'Cong will get women's reservation bill passed once in power'

Congress President Rahul Gandhi today said that his party would get the women's reservationbill passed in Parliament "once it comes to power at the Centre."

Gandhi also asked the party's Karnataka unit toensure that more women aspirants get tickets during the coming assembly elections in the state.

"We worked towards ensuring reservation for women in Panchayatraj; we had brought a bill aimed at providing reservation for women in Parliament, which the BJP has not implemented till today," Gandhi said.

Addressing a 'Sthree Shakti Samavesha', a women'srally here, he said "once the Congress party government comesto power in Delhi, it will do and show you women's reservation in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha."
 

Gandhi is touring parts of north Karnataka as part of his second leg of campaign in Karnataka, where elections are expected in April/May.

Expressing happiness about large attendance of womenat the meeting, the Congress President, while remembering Akka Mahadevi, a 12th century woman poet and social reformer, and Rani Chennamma of Kittur, who fought the British, advocated larger representation of women in politics and top offices.

"I want to see a day that in politics, in VidhanSabha, in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, in the cabinets... more and women are seen, their voice is heard in every corner of the country," he said.

The Congress President also asked the Pradesh Congress President, the Chief Minister and the party General Secretary to ensure that more women get tickets for the comingassembly elections in Karnataka.

Gandhi said he wanted to give an assurance to women and tell them that wherever there the congress party is, it would work more and more towards taking them forward.

"I want to tellthe PCC President, General Secretary and Siddaramaiah ji that during this Karnataka election more and more women should gettickets."

"We have to see their faces in the Vidhan Sabha.Ialso want to see that not only in the Vidhan Sabha,but more women are also seen in the next Congress government cabinet in the state," he added.