Shashi Tharoor explained that the purpose of his bill is to reinforce a simple principle: a woman’s consent remains her own, and marriage does not take that right away. He posted the bill’s intent on X, calling the criminalisation of marital rape an urgent reform that India’s legal system can no longer postpone.
He wrote that India must move beyond the idea that “No means no” and embrace the standard that “Only yes means yes,” emphasising that every woman deserves dignity and full control over her body, including within marriage. According to him, the issue at hand is not marriage itself but violence, and the time to act has clearly arrived.
Tharoor also brought another private member’s bill before Parliament on Friday aimed at addressing burnout among India’s workforce. He proposed changes to the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code of 2020, noting the need for stronger protections after the death of a twenty six year old employee at Ernst and Young in Pune, a case widely linked to extreme workload pressures.
While sharing the reasoning behind the amendment, Tharoor pointed out that more than half of India’s workers put in over forty nine hours a week and nearly four fifths report chronic burnout. He said the loss of young professional Anna Sebastian Perayil highlighted how excessive work hours are damaging both physical and mental health.
In addition to these efforts, Tharoor submitted another private member’s bill calling for the creation of a permanent States and Union Territories Reorganisation Commission. In his post on X, he said such a body would ensure that any future formation or alteration of states or union territories is guided by objective information such as census data, along with administrative practicality, economic considerations, national cohesion, and public opinion.
A private member’s bill refers to legislation introduced by any Member of Parliament who is not serving as a minister. Bills introduced by ministers, on the other hand, are classified as government bills.
