The BJP on Tuesday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for granting 33 per cent reservation for women in the legislative bodies and said it would help them participate in public life while the AAP alleged that the Women's Reservation Bill is a bill to befool women ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

 "The BJP is not interested in the wellbeing and welfare of women. A closer reading of the provisions of the bill shows that it is 'Mahila Bewakoof Banao' bill," Delhi Minister Atishi said while addressing a press conference. Delhi Commission For Women chief Swati Maliwal on Tuesday congratulated the Centre on its decision to introduce the Women Reservation Bill.

The government on Tuesday introduced a constitutional amendment bill to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, reviving a bill pending for 27 years for want of consensus among parties. According to the bill, the reservation will come into effect after a delimitation exercise is undertaken and will continue for 15 years. Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation exercise.

The Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said, " I thank the Prime Minister for this historic decision. The decision will herald a change in the otherwise male-dominated politics of the country".  "Do not underestimate women candidates. The belief that women belong to the confines of their houses has ended," Bidhuri added.

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said that the people of the country are today proud that the Narendra Modi government has chosen to present the most important Bill in the political history of India as the first Bill on the table of the new Parliament of India that too on the auspicious Ganesh Chaturthi day.

"It was BJP led Government of PM Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee which forcefully tried to get the Women Reservation Bill passed four times between 1998 to 2003 but the Congress and its clans oriented regional parties colleagues scuttled the Government's efforts. Now, PM Narendra Modi whose Government has an absolute majority in the Parliament has chosen the day of Ganesh Chaturthi to give enhanced representation in the public life to the women of India. The passing of this Reservation Bill will also mean that the participation of the women not only in the law making process, but in Governance will also increase," he said.

Taking a dig at the BJP, Atishi said BJP's grandiose plan for women's reservation will not come into effect until 2027-28. It is clear from the provisions of the bill that the BJP is attempting to deceive the women of the country by befooling them in the name of reservation just to gain votes in the 2024 elections. Atishi questioned, "Why can't PM Modi provide reservations to women in the 2024 elections without waiting for the census and delimitation. If he truly cares about women, why doesn't he implement the bill on the existing 543 seats in the Lok Sabha?" Demanding the provisions of delimitation and census be done away with and the women's reservation be implemented for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, senior AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi said : '"Why have the provisions of delimitation and census been included? This means that women reservation won't be implemented ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls".

Earlier in the day, Atishi had stated that if such a bill comes, the AAP will welcome it, but underlined that the party would have to study its specifics. "The AAP supports women's reservation in-principle. If such a bill comes, we will welcome it. No Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha member of the party has got a copy of the bill, and so its specifics and what impact it will have need to be studied," the AAP leader had said.

DCW chief Swati Maliwal on Tuesday congratulated the Centre on its decision to introduce the Women Reservation Bill.  "After 76 years of independence, the government has accepted that unless women are in the Parliament and Legislative Assembly, the country's progress will only be on paper.   "Women's issues are a burning topic in the country today due to which the Centre is bringing #WomenReservationBill in the country. I congratulate the government and hope that the likes of Brij Bhushan will now be replaced by women in Parliament!" she said in a post in Hindi on X.

AAP's Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha demanded immediate implementation of reservation for women.Targeting the central government, he posted on X, "We will bring women reservation but won't reveal the date.

As per Clause 5 of the #WomenReservationBill, the reservation will kick in only AFTER a delimitation exercise and a fresh census - post the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Eighth Amendment) Act, 2023."

"Does this imply: 1 No women reservation for the 2024 Elections 2 The nation and the women will have to wait for fresh Census and delimitation for women reservation 3 The BILL has been framed without the WILL to execute it We demand immediate implementation of #WomenReservation without further delay," he said.