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In
an inclusive democracy, political power is perhaps the strongest
tool to eradicate all forms of inequality. The passage of the
Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha has brought forward some
interesting scenarios for the Indian polity. This struggle for
political rights by women’s groups has been the longest in the
history of independent India as the proposed constitution amendment
bill had been deferred several times by successive governments since
1996.
While the Indian constitution is one
of the most progressive in the world and guarantees equal rights for
men and women, Indian women have always waited anxiously for their
equal dreams to be translated into reality.
Bias against women and girls is
reflected in the demographic ratio of 933 females for every 1,000
males. Also, 1 in 5 women dies during childbirth, and such deaths
account for more than 20 percent of the global maternal deaths. As
far as political participation of women is concerned, the Lok Sabha
elections in 2009 was the only time when women candidates witnessed
a 10 percent participation in parliament.
The opposition to the bill is coming
from the conservative and orthodox forces of “ghunghat” and “hijab”
because the women are still subjugated to remain within the “purdah”
(veil). These forces represented by fundamentalist men are not used
to accepting women at par, questioning, arguing or participating in
any kind of discourse.
The most vocal opponent of the bill is
the other backward classes (OBC) leadership of Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar. Ironically, these are the most backward states of the country
in terms of gender equality. It is evident from the OBC opposition,
especially the “Yadav trio”, that they have not given opportunity to
their women.
On the other hand, liberal arguments
such as “unless the system becomes free from corruption and
nepotism, women should not participate as they will also get
corrupted if they enter the political spaces,” or “they are not
capable!”, etc. remind us of the colonial logic given by the British
against freedom that Indians will not be able to manage the country.
But women’s participation at the
grassroots in the Panchayati Raj has proved that women are capable
of providing governance and given an opportunity they can come
forward and make their contribution to strengthening democracy and
nation building.
The active journey for women’s
empowerment in India in the 20th century began with the call by
Mahatma Gandhi during the independence struggle.
It was during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure as
prime minister that the idea of decentralising power and empowering
women at the grassroots was mooted. The one-third reservation for
women in panchayats came through the 73rd constitution amendment
during P.V. Narasimha Rao’s tenure as prime minister.
As part of its 100-day action plan,
the Congress-led UPA government that came back to power last year
started pushing for the bill, and also promised to give women 50
percent seats in local government institutions like the village
council, up from the 33 percent of seats currently reserved for
them.
Women’s rights organisations in India
have been working relentlessly for the past decade to ensure the
passage of the 33 percent quota bill. Countrywide signature
campaigns, rallies and dharnas (sit-ins) have been organised
throughout the country. We undertook train journeys to cover the
length and breath of the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to
explain our position and mobilise support for our demands for 33
percent seats for women in parliament and state assemblies.
Numerous meetings have been held with
MPs before and after each session of parliament, along with the
formation of lobby groups and national networks like Women
PowerConnect (WPC) to persuade the government to place the bill in
parliament to enable discussion and debate. Furthermore, a Gender
Ginger Group of MPs supporting the bill was also formed to push the
bill in parliament.
The media was involved throughout as
an important stakeholder to facilitate the passage of the bill.
Countless press conferences and media interfaces were organised in
the last 14 years to mount pressure on policymakers.
In 2007, we at the Centre for Social
Research, with support from the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF),
launched a landmark initiative in the country, wherein we built the
capacities of as many as 1,000 women leaders to participate in state
and national electoral politics. The two-year project titled
“Enhancing the Role of Women in Strengthening Democracy” trained
this massive pool of women leaders by implementing the core strategy
of “Train, Contest & Win”. We have also launched an online course
“womenleadership.in” to enable women to build their leadership
potentials.
The reservation bill has been
undoubtedly one of the most controversial pieces of legislation to
ever get passed in any house of the Indian parliament. This is
notable as being one of the rarest occasions when a political
consensus was reached among the three major national parties - the
Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress, and the Left parties.
The passage of the Women’s Reservation
Bill in the Rajya Sabha is not only a heartwarming step for India
but is likely to be an inspirational trendsetter for women’s
empowerment in the entire region. One of the challenges that the
bill faces among other barriers is of course getting the Lok Sabha’s
approval. However, with the kind of momentum it has acquired in the
last few days, the subsequent passage in the lower house should be
relatively easy.
More women walking into parliament
will definitely change the face of Indian politics and will help
weed out corruption and crime that exists in Indian politics. It
will also be instrumental in paving the way for equitable socio
economic development in the country.
The author is director, Centre for Social Research.
She can be contacted ranjanakumari@hotmail.com
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