The
Indian government has introduced a bill guaranteeing a third of seats for women
in the lower house of parliament and state assemblies.
The contentious bill, first
proposed in 1996, has been pending for decades amid opposition from some
political parties.
Its revival is expected to
boost the governing Bharatiya Janata Party's fortunes in general elections next
May.
The bill was tabled at the
new Indian parliament's first session and is still some way from becoming law.
It would require the
approval of both houses of parliament and a majority of state legislatures, as
well as the Indian president's signature.
In his opening speech at
the new parliament building, Mr Modi praised the proposed legislation and said
it was a special moment for the country.
"The world understands
that only talking of women-led development is not enough. This is a positive
step taken on that front," he told politicians as he appealed to them to
support the bill.
The PM also took a swipe at
the opposition and said that the previous Congress party-led governments had
failed to clear the bill when they were in power.
"There have been
discussions around women's reservations for years.
We can say with pride that
we have scripted history," he said.
Mr Modi inaugurated the new parliament building in May but no business was held there until now.
He called a five-day special session which began on Monday but the first day's sitting was held in the old parliament building.
On Tuesday morning, members
from both houses assembled for a photo session at the old building, followed by an event
commemorating parliament's legacy in the Central Hall of
the British-era building.
They then moved to the new
parliament as the office of the lower house of parliament officially designated it
as the Parliament House of India.
The proceedings are being
held amid criticism from opposition leaders who claim that the government has
not disclosed all the business that could come up during the week.
According to the
government, eight bills have been listed for discussion during the session -
but this agenda could be changed or expanded during the course of the week.
The new parliament building
is part of the government's ambitious Central Vista project in Delhi to replace
colonial-era government buildings.
Built-in front of the old
parliament, the new four-story building - constructed at an estimated cost of
9.7bn rupees ($117m; £94m) - is much bigger and has the capacity to seat 1,272
MPs.
The Lok Sabha chamber,
which will seat the lower house of the parliament, is designed in the likeness
of a peacock, India's national bird. The Rajya Sabha chamber, which will seat the
upper house, is designed to resemble the lotus - India's national flower and
also Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party's election symbol.
The current parliament building will be converted into a museum.
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