Women's Reservation Bill: March 10 (Friday) is an important day for women in India. The Women's Reservation Bill came at the centre of politics after over a decade. BRS leader K Kavitha, with the support of 18 parties held a hunger strike to press the demand for the passage of the crucial bill in the Parliament. BRS leader Kavitha and NGO Bharat Jagriti's latest initiative gives hope to those who have been striving to raise the issue in the social and political corridor for a long time. The bill, which seeks to reserve 33 per cent seats in Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies for women has been facing political apathy for over a decade due to several political reasons.
Long-pending demand
It was first introduced in the Rajya Sabha in May 2008 and was referred to a standing committee in the same year. In 2010, it was passed in the House and transmitted finally to the Lok Sabha. In Lower House, the bill did not get the required support, hence the bill lapsed with the 15th Lok Sabha. Since UPA time certain parties and women's rights, NGOs occasionally raised the demand to reintroduce the bill again in the Parliament. In July 2018, then Congress chief Rahul Gandhi wrote to PM Modi during to bring the Women''s Reservation Bill to Parliament.
Ruling BJP's stand
The BJP in its manifesto for Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and 2019 had stated that it was committed to providing 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament.
“Women’s welfare and development will be accorded a high priority at all levels within the government, and the BJP is committed to 33 percent reservation in parliament and state assemblies through a constitutional amendment,” the manifesto read in 2019. But, the government's inaction on the bill drew the Opposition's flak.
First Initiative made in 1996
"This bill is pending for twenty-seven years. In 1996, Deve Gowda introduced this bill. I thank all the women, be it Vrinda Karat, or Sonia Gandhi, or Jayanthi Natarajan. I promise women that the movement will continue until the bill comes to Parliament again. We demand to BJP to pass the bill. We will mobilise women leaders from across the country so that the government can get the bill passed in Parliament," BRS Kavitha said.
Paltry women's representation
Further, Kavitha said that India is at 148th place among 193 countries in terms of women's representation. There are only 78 women members out of 543 in Parliament, which is 14.4 per cent. Unfortunately, it is very less than the global average. In neighbouring Pakistan, there is 17 per cent reservation for women and their representation in Bangladesh is higher than India, she said.
Coincidentally, when Kavitha-led a group of parties (18 parties) were sit in pressing demand for passage of the bill in the Parliament, PM Modi himself pitched for women's empowerment at an event on Friday.
"Women will be given a 7.5% interest rate under Mahila Samman Saving Certificate Scheme. PM Awas Yojana has also empowered women who are homemakers. This budget has the vision of building unicorns in Self Help Groups," PM Narendra Modi said at post-budget webinar on women empowerment.
Parties supporting the bill
Congress and AAP, Shiv Sena, Akali Dal, PDP, NC, TMC, JD-U, NCP, CPI, CPM, SP, RJD expressed their support to the reservation.
In 2010 these parties were against the quota
Janata Dal United (JD(U)), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party (SP), Shiv Sena, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Party (AIMIM), Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) had opposed it.
But in the current scenario, RJD, SP, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) already attended the Kavitha's protest in Delhi. Telugu Desam Party (TDP), AIADMK, BJD and Assam Gana Parishad (AGP) extended their support to the Women's Reservation Bill in 2010.
What stops government to take up the bill
Since 2010, Indian political discourse took a totally 180-degree turn. Those who were in power are now in Opposition. Congress-led UPA then ruling coalition is no more in power as BJP-headed NDA replaced them. Those who were opposing the bill have a change of heart. Now they came forward to support the bill.
The ruling BJP mysteriously remained silent on the bill since it came to power in 2014 except during the election General Election 2019. PM Modi-Amit Shah-led regime neither openly supported nor went against in last 9 years. The silence from the ruling dispensation sparked a notion that government is not in the mood to push the bill in the Parliament.
Compare to UPA, NDA government is in a position to pass the bill but it is mysterious why the Modi government is not taking it forward. However, PM Modi took several initiatives that indicate that this government supports women's empowerment but on the Women's Reservation Bill, the ruling party kept its cards close to the chest.
The current figure in terms of women's representation is not very encouraging. The total number of women in the present Lok Sabha is 78 and 24 in Rajya sabha. The total number in the Parliament is 102 which is close 13 per cent in the 766-seat House.
According to orfonline.org, in state legislative assemblies or Vidhan Sabhas, meanwhile, average representation is even lower, mostly below 10 percent.
In the present 17th Lok Sabha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have the highest numbers of women MPs. In terms of proportion, 14 percent of total Lok Sabha MPs in UP are women, and the share is 26 percent in Bengal.
Party-wise
Congress fielded 54 women candidates in 2019, BJP- 53 women. BJD nominated 33 per cent of women candidates in Odisha and TMC 41 per cent in Bengal.
The current scenario is a sad state of affairs. It is difficult to digest that world's largest democracy gives only around 10-13 per cent political representation to half of its population (women). India is changing rapidly. The country is emerging as one of the superpowers with robust economic growth. At a glance, there is no reason to not provide 33 per cent to women in a progressive country, especially, when the ruling alliance has a strong majority and the support of most Opposition parties.
So, where is the catch? The experts say the problem is political perception. Still, the leadership of large parties thinks that a woman candidate can't pull through an election. If you remember, the speech of late Sharad Yadav in the Parliament. He was known for making misogynist remarks. He played Dalit card to stop the bill.
"I will consume poison and die but I won't allow the women's reservation bill without a quota for Dalit/Tribal women," he had said in 2009.
There were several politicians, most from north India who had a similar mentality when it comes to women's quota in the Parliament. Sharad Yadav and Mulayam Singh, who were close friends of Congress yet they opposed the bill. But the good thing about today is most of the politicians who opposed the bill went politically dormant or are not alive. At the root of the problem is political parties are not well prepared to increase the number of women candidates in the elections. They don't nourish or promote women leaders. Hence they face a shortage of women's winnable candidates.
There is strong hope that PM Modi may bring the bill ahead of the Lok Sabha election which is slated to take place in 2024. BJP may have comprehension over the credit for the bill as UPA had made the biggest pushed to the bill and if it got cleared by the NDA government, Congress will also claim a say in.
Meanwhile, the passage of the bill is a win-win game for all political parties. Nowadays, women voters play a key role in determining poll results. In Bihar, Nitish Kumar gained women's votes owing to the liquor ban and vis-a-vis Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh for better law and order situation ensuring women's safety.
