Political Diary
New Delhi,
14 March 2023
Stree Dhan Quota
BELAN Vs
PAGRI
By Poonam I Kaushish
Quota is back on the political
platter albeit with a bad twist. Amidst ED raids and questioning of BRS’s Telengana
Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao’s daughter Kavitha in the Delhi liquor case,
she launched a hunger strike in Delhi demanding introduction of Women
Reservation Bill in Parliament’s on-going Budget session. Ironically, supported
by SP and RJD who had sabotaged the Bill since its inception 2008.
It was obvious that in the garb of
female empowerment her motive was to deflect attention from ED’s action against
her, else why would anyone rake up an issue put in thanda baksa? Certainly it is not to detract attention from the
imperative need to reintroduce the Bill that provides for 33% seats for women in
Parliament and State Assemblies, a tentative step towards equality.
Pertinently, Supreme Court too dubbed it “important”
on a PIL seeking its reintroduction November. Notwithstanding, gender
politics could lead to a ferocious brand of political Puritanism. See how our
chauvinistic netagan see ‘red’ when
it comes to sharing space with the fair sex under the political sun.
Remember,
‘her’ story was made when the historic Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha March
2010, due to Congress’s Sonia “walking-her-talk-on-the-Bill. However, it lapsed
with the 15th Lok Sabha, thanks to male MPs playing spoil sport by ensuring it
bit dust. Shockingly, women account for less than 10 % of both Houses of
Parliament today.
In fact, women
participation in electoral politics has remained stagnant in successive Lok
Sabhas. It ranges between 19 and 59 MPs: The present Lok Sabha has the highest
number of women MPs 59 out of 543, a sheer 14.58%! Way below 24% global average.
States like Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal, Himachal and ex-J&K don’t have a
single women MP in Lok Sabha.
Think. If in 1950 women formed 5% of
Parliament, today a mere 9% increase in the last 73 years serves a sobering
reminder of how slow progress has been. Shamefully, India record of
sending women to Parliament is among the world’s worst. Of 193 countries, India
stands at 145th position, faring poorer than Bangladesh, Afghanistan (27.7%), Pakistan
(20.6%) Saudi Arabia (19.9%) and Rwanda’s 62% highest globally.
Pathetic is the scenario in States. Nagaland has
just got its first female MLA! In Himachal out of 412
candidates only 24 were women despite more women voting than men, in Gujarat
there were a paltry 14 female candidates of 160 out of 182 constituencies in
last year’s Assembly polls.
Ditto in four States and one Union Territory
2021 women who make-up nearly half voters only comprised one in 10
candidates: 9% in Kerala, 7.8 % in Assam and 11% in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and
West Bengal. In 13 Assembly elections earlier of
807 elected MLAs there were a mere 38 women. Since 1977, only 197 women have
contested against 3845 men.
Scandalously, six States have no
female Ministers, including Sikkim and Manipur. No State even has one-third
women Ministers --- the highest is Tamil Nadu with 13% while 68% States have
less than 10% female representation in leadership roles. Yet, there is no
dearth of women workers in Parties who are regularly sidelined and denied Party
tickets to contest elections. Despite, 65.63%, women turnout compared to 67.09%
men during 2014 Parliamentary elections and more women voting than men in 16 of
29 States.
In fact Mamata made reservation of
tickets for women a talking point in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with her TMC
fielding 17 of 42 candidates. Of its 22 elected Lok Sabha MPs, 9 are women. In
Odisha, Patnaik’s BJD gave 7 (33%) of 21 Lok Sabha tickets to women, of whom
five won.
Further, there are only a handful of
women leaders today: Sonia Gandhi, Mamata and
Mayawati. So unlike the strong female contingent who fought alongside other
freedom fighters, Sarojini Naidu, Sucheta Kripalani, Aruna Asaf Ali, Durgabai
Deshmukh and Savitri Phule, who not only defied the notorious patriarchal norms
but also blazed a trail of women’s empowerment. Unfortunately,
post-Independence women slipped to a secondary status where not just leaders,
women continue to remain ‘unwanted’ and neglected sex.
Questionably, why are we failing our
women so miserably? Why isn’t there reservation for women yet? Specially as women
leaders are doing India proud. Indira Gandhi, a hardnosed Prime Minister earned the
acronym ‘only man in the Cabinet!’. Today, her daughter-in-law Sonia, Mamata,
Mayawati, late Jayalalitha and President Droupadi Murmu are examples of women’s
empowerment.
Look at the
sweet irony. The torch bearers of more and more reservation for OBCs and
minorities, our “made in India” Parties: Samajwadi, RJD and BSP which lead the
anti-women brigade and revel in their crudest best to oppose reservation for
them ---- “Do you think these women with fancy hair can speak for our women,”
---- till such time as their vote banks --- OBCs and minorities --- are given a
quota within this quota.
No matter,
that their track record of women representation within the existing SC/ST quotas
is zilch. And never mind that they are among the worst in gender indicators -
maternal mortality, women's literacy, etc in Bihar and UP.
Undeniably, one-third women reservation in panchayats and urban local bodies has led
to a spurt in female political participation and leadership, yet there are also
instances of women being used as proxies by men to win elections in various
states from Maharashtra to Bihar.
However, in a
milieu whereby India boasts of a distorted female-male sex ratio of 914 girls
for 1,000 boys, of 4000 girls being killed daily, neglect of a 12 million girls
born, one million not seeing their first birthdays, Odisha has become a torch
bearer for women empowerment by unanimously passing a resolution seeking 33%
reservation for women in Legislative Assemblies and Parliament 2018.
Certainly, 33%
women quota will not wipe out the low female-male ratio or preference for boys
in fertility decision and gender gaps in literacy etc which has lead to deficit
of women in a male-dominated society. Also, experience shows that no amount of
legislation has ended gender discrimination.
In a country
that ranks 114th among 134 in gender disparities, our leaders need to recognize
that inequalities exist and should be rectified. It is imperative they create a
level-playing field as good governance is not caste or gender-specific. If we
want to use our finest resource, we have to start taking our Stree Shakti seriously and treating them
like worthwhile investments.
Time our leaders help women break
the glass ceilings and give them their rightful place in the sun. The
Constitution has given women equal rights. Reservations will go a long way in
facilitating them to shatter this. A
revolutionary change is needed. Merely mouthing platitudes will no longer work.
The crucial
need is to undergo catharsis -- a course in emotive cleansing and giving a push
to women empowerment in cementing a cohesive society. It is a good idea to have
more women than less. In the final crunch: Give women equal opportunity and
follow a ‘womb to tomb’ policy of keeping our Stree Dhan happy! ---- INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature
Alliance)
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