Women's Reservation Bill: Twenty-Three Years And Counting... Will It See The Light Of Day?

In the middle of elections last month, BJP spokesperson Shaina NC바카라�s sudden outburst against her party cau­ght everyone by surprise. Shaina, one of the party바카라�s most visible faces in Maharashtra, was appalled at the male chauvinistic mindset of parties that develop cold feet when it comes to sharing power with women. She said most parties lack the political will to implement the contentious Women바카라�s Reservation Bill, which aims to ensure that women represent of one-third of the constituencies in Parliament and state assemblies. Introduced in 1996, the bill has been hanging fire ever since, with all parties blaming each other for the failure to enact it as law.

The idea was back on the agenda this election season with the ruling Trinamool Congress in Bengal and the ruling Biju Janata Dal in Odisha announcing that women comprise 41 per cent and 33 per cent, respectively, of their candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. Feminist activist and social scientist Kamla Bhasin believes the move marks a significant step towards increasing political representation of women. 바카라�I am amazed that Naveen Patnaik and Mamata Banerjee initiated such a move,바카라� says Bhasin. 바카라�That바카라�s just what we need now.바카라�

The debate around the bill gathered momentum after the BJP and the Congress released their manifestos last month, reiterating their promise of one-third seats for women. Many women바카라�s leaders call this a farce. 바카라�I don바카라�t trust these manifestos as this is not the first time they have made this promise,바카라� says CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat. 바카라�Despite the BJP바카라�s huge majority in the Lok Sabha, it didn바카라�t do anything. The Congress hadn바카라�t done anything either during UPA-2. Both lack the political will.바카라�

Bhasin says the National Alliance of Women바카라�s Organisations came up with a 바카라�Womanifesto바카라�, which was sent to all parties, with 33 per cent reservation among its main highlights. The current Lok Sabha has only 66 women MPs바카라�11 per cent of the total seats. Last year, India was ranked 149th among 193 nations by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in terms of the percentage of women in the lower house. Worldwide, countries with more women parliamentarians also lead in ­socio-economic indices.

The journey of attempts to legislate women바카라�s reservation hasn바카라�t been smooth. The bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha by then PM H.D. Deve Gowda in 1996. Two years later, when the Atal Behari Vajpayee government reintroduced the bill, the Lok Sabha witnessed unruly scenes as an RJD MP tore the draft into pieces. In 2008, the Manmohan Singh government introduced it again as the Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill. The Rajya Sabha passed it in 2010. 바카라�This could happen because of pressure from the Left, which had some strength in Parliament at that time,바카라� says Karat. In the nine years since, there has been no movement on the bill.

Congress leader Sushmita Dev says her party got the bill passed in the Rajya Sabha despite opposition from allies. 바카라�There is no party whose men want to give up seats for women. That바카라�s why we need affirmative action,바카라� says Dev. A glance at how parties give tickets to women illustrates this. In the 2014 general elections, there were only 668 women among the 8,251 candidates in the fray across the country, though women comprise 50 per cent of the electorate. Even the CPI(M) has only two female candidates in Kerala this time. 바카라�I am not defending this. That바카라�s why we demand reservation,바카라� says CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali.

Pointing out that 33 per cent quota for women in panchayati raj institutions was a significant step, feminist publisher Ritu Menon wonders why parties are reluctant when it comes to extending it to the assemblies and Parliament. 바카라�There is a problem within the parties. That바카라�s why they are unable to do it,바카라� she says.

According to Bhasin, only a strong movement can push the bill forward, and reservation would be meaningful only if the situation of women improves within the parties 바카라�We don바카라�t just need those who are biologically female in Parliament, but also ideological women바카라�feminists who believe in democracy. I can바카라�t respect women who spread hate,바카라� she says.