Panaji, Sep 23 (IANS): Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday welcomed the women’s reservation bill and said that as per provision 13 seats will be reserved for women in state’s legislative assembly.

“I welcome the Women Reservation Bill. It is the first time that women are getting ‘Sanman’ (of reservation) by the BJP government under the leadership of Narendra Modi. I congratulate him,” Sawant said.

Speaking about the reservation for Goa assembly, he said that 13 seats will be reserved for women in Goa.

Goa has 40 members in the state legislative assembly.

“It will help women for their representation in Lok Sabha and assembly,” Sawant said.

Meanwhile, Congress in Goa has called the bill another ‘Jumla’ by the BJP government.

Congress leader Girish Chodankar has said that ‘Women Reservation’ should not become another ‘Jumla’ like ‘crediting 15 lakhs in account of every citizen’, which was a failed promise of the saffron party.

He said that BJP is trying to divert attention from public issues by bringing Women’s Reservation Bill, which according to him has no clarity about its implementation.

“Government should declare the 2011 caste census and conduct a fresh census immediately, so the Bahujan Samaj gets justice in reservation,” Chodankar said.