WOMEN RESERVATION BILL - A SMALL STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION

The passage of Women’s reservation bill in Rajya Sabha on 9th March 2010
marks a red letter day in the democratic politics of India. The bill had been hanging
for more than 15 years owing to opposition from some leading political parties in the
country. The presentation of women reservation bill in the Parliament had been
repeatedly stalled at the behest of myopic political leadership reflected by most of the
dominant political parties in parliament. The women reservation bill faced the same
plight in parliament as women have faced in Indian society. Parliament time and again
proved to be a true representative of disintegrating value system of Indian social
fabric. Same elements were active in full force even this time and vowed to thwart
any attempt by ruling coalition to table the bill in the upper house of the parliament.
With the support coming from main opposition party BJP and the left parties it was
clear that number were not a problem this time. However the traditional opponents
RJD,SP and LJP were vehement to prevent the bill from being tabled in the RS. The
unruly scene witnessed in the RS on 8th March was unprecedented in the
parliamentary history of India when the Hon chairman of the house who also holds
the second highest constitutional position in the country was virtually manhandled.
The shameful act of a few members brought the Indian state to shame in full public
view on national TVs. Using force to evict these elements to restore order in the house
was the only alternative available on the next day to ensure a meaningful debate on
the issue. The congress party took a huge political risk by going through the bill
despite being in minority in the house. But as termed by its President on TV, the
larger issue was more significant than the risk involved.

India is a society where women are considered a personal possession and are
viewed as the honour of the family and society. This patriarchal mindset restricts
freedom of women and pressurizes them to act according to the set paradigm of the
society, with no role of intervention in decision making. In majority of cases, from the
level of education to choice of life partner, voice of family prevails, leaving lesser
space for individual preference. In addition after marriage, women face oppression,
but she bears it for the sake of family, the biggest institution of our society.”
 Buoyed by the successful enactment of 73rd amendment incorporating 33%
reservation for women in Panchayats , H.D Deve Gowda, the then Prime Minister of
India, in 1996, introduced ‘Women reservation Bill’ which provided for 33%
reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. From 1996 to
2008 history repeated itself every time effort was made to bring the bill for debate in
Parliament. Efforts were made by the Govt of the day to introduce the bill in Lok
Sabha in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2003 but with no success. Finally the bill was
introduced in Rajya Sabha in 2008 but referred to the Standing committee for
consideration.

During this period the sentiments of the society or the opponents of the bill
was best narrated by Justice Rajendra Sachar in the people’s union of civil liberties
bulletin in 2003 ‘ To impact one third of the male members to accept political hara-
kiri is unrealistic. Toady’s Politicians are no Gandhian. They will not give up their
privileges so easily.’ Parliament is still a man’s world.

Looking into the backdrop of such pessimistic scenario the passage of bill in
RS is not a small step but a giant leap in the direction of completing the process of
constitutional amendment bringing in the much desired legislation. Bigger roadblocks
though await the Govt in Lok Sabha where bill may encounter serious challenges not
in terms of intellectual debates on merits or otherwise of the bill but from more unruly
members of some political parties who have shown little wisdom in futuristic outlook
for the country. They are more keen on their narrow political gains here and there than
have a vision for the country. It is the tragedy of our democratic politics that our
largely illiterate electorates chose such elements to represent them in the highest
temple of our democracy. Though constitution of India provides for equality of sexes
in economic, political and social sphere the empirical data proves otherwise. In the
2009 general elections, 543 candidates were elected to the 15th Lok Sabha, only 61 of
them were women. In past low representation of women among successful candidates
across the party line prompted the election commission to write to the government
about the need for providing adequate representation to women. The current political
environment is so polluted that a minority of self centred politicians have kept the
proceedings of the parliament to ransom. They have succeeded in stalling the
proceedings of the house without much rationale or logic. Outside the Parliament the
sentiments of these people is best reflected in the statement of a leader of one political
party who is leading the opposition to the bill claiming that his wife would never defy
his orders if asked to vote in a certain way. He is one of the veteran politicians of this
country who has been a cabinet minister and a long serving Chief Minister.
Incidentally his wife ruled a State for a long time as Chief Minister when he was sent
to jail for his deeds. Now we have such leaders who dare to proclaim their patriarchal
mind set and the nation has accepted such sick people as its leaders. We cannot expect
anything more from such elements except opposition to such forward looking step
towards equality for women.

A country’s level of maturity as a nation is reflected in the way it looks after

its weaker sections and elderly. If India is to claim a developing democracy, creation
of adequate and affective institutional structures guaranteeing full and equal
opportunity to all its citizens in all walks of life is an essential prerequisite. No
country can claim to be either developed or democratic if it keeps half of its
population distanced from the mainstream of development process.

The Women’s reservation bill is a step in the direction of setting the historical
wrong right. What we need now is full support for the bill in its journey to the
summit. There should be support from civil society, social organisations who have
tirelessly fought for decades to reach here, politicians inside and out side parliament
and intellectuals. The time available till the bill is tabled in the Lok Sabha may be
utilised by all these agencies to create enough pressure to ensure its trouble free
passage in Parliament as sell as State Legislatures. The process of the bill becoming a
law still includes its passage in Lok Sabha without any modifications. If any
modifications are incorporated by Lok Sabha during the debate and accepted the bill
has to refer back to Rajya Sabha for reconsideration. Once both houses of Parliament
pass the bill with a majority of the house as well as two third of the members present
and voting it has to be ratified by a majority of the state legislatures i.e. at least 15 out
of 28 state legislatures have to agree for the amendment before it is sent to the
President for accent. The President also has the powers to keep the bill under
consideration for indefinite time without referring it back.
Thus it is clear that the mere passing of bill in Rajya Sabha is not sufficient to
make it a law. It is a process which has started with this and has to go through the
grindings at many levels. However a step which has taken 15 long years to start
should not be reversed at any cost. It is not only the responsibility of the
Parliamentarians to put up their hands but also of all those right minded people and
organisations to keep the pressure on and create an environment where a few
disgruntled voices having narrow myopic mind set don’t take the centre stage. A
majority of 187 to 1 in Rajya Sabha speaks the kind of support bill enjoys and even if
the parties against the bill were present and voting they would not have been able to
stall its passage. We need a similar support in the lower house also to send a message
to bill’s opponents that their undemocratic methods of protest count for nothing. The
ruling coalition should thank the main opposition and the left parties for their virtual
unconditional support to the bill which has ensured that a ray of light is visible at the
end of the tunnel. Same support is required from everyone in not only creating history
but becoming part of the history as told by leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha
while initiating the discussion on the bill on 9th March.

Women have different social and biological experiences that affect their lives.
Social stigmas, social pressure and social norms of society are different for sexes.
Thus to understand and formulate a law which has wider implication on women their
participation is essential. In addition women and men have partly conflicting interests.
In a patriarchal society men want to be conservative on all issues as it suits them and
maintain the status quo. Breaking the established norms of society like widow
remarriage, giving property rights to women, providing education to women and
economic opportunities etc ultimately breaks the domain of patriarchy.

Political power yields dignity and equality. Thus women in position of power
can inspire more women to adopt the empowerment route to emancipation.

Although there is no need for debate on the merits or otherwise of the issue of
reservation for women the level of resistance it has encountered from some in
Parliament and outside it appears that there are serious apprehensions among political
class about the workability and acceptability of some provisions incorporated in the
bill.

By empowering women at the political level 50% of the population gets

empowered. Our present day environment of governance is polluted, corrupt and
devoid of ethical values. Thus to revamp the whole system of governance and to
create a society which gives equality to its weaker half not only by enacting laws and
paying lip service, political equality is the need of the hour.

If we do not rise to the occasion now we may forever loose a historic

opportunity to emerge from the shadows of traditions and march towards creating a
society which honours all its citizens equally and allows them to enjoy the fruits of
development. Women reservation bill is one path breaking effort like Panchayati Raj
legislation and Right to Information Act which can revolutionise not only our society
but also polity and economy. No one knows what is there in store for this bill but the
civil society must keep pressure to ensure its successful passage in the Lok Sabha and
then in the State Legislatures.

Dr Abha Ranjan

Assistant Professor

Govt Mahakoshal College

Jabalpur

09425104900